Rich or Poor?

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They stayed with a very poor family. When they returned, the father asked the son what he thought of their trip.

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Take a Nap for Memory ...

I knew there was a reason I liked to take a nap! Studies (wish I had a reference, however) suggest that our memories are solidified while we sleep. Our brain does a lot of work during our rest – almost like it is a hard drive busy filing, organizing, and making sense of everything we’ve discovered while we were awake.  When you've learned a new concept or information that you want to retain, consider taking a nap or reviewing it right before going to bed.  This will give your brain the best chance to assimilate the new information.

Blue Planet Run ...

Water, especially good drinking water, is a precious resource and one that we sometimes take for granted. Blue Planet Run: The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World is a spectacular book that is now available as a free PDF download from Amazon. You will be amazed at the conditions some people face thoughout the world. Take a few minutes to "thumb through" the book and then count your blessings. Click HERE for the download. 

Multitasking ...

How successful are you at multitasking? Here is a quote I like:

"Multitasking is the art of distracting yourself from two things you’d rather not be doing by doing them simultaneously."

I find that to do some thing well, I need to devote my full and undivided attention to it. How about you?

Urine Test ...

I got this from a friend and agree completely. What do you think?

I have to pass a urine test for my job. Like a lot of us in Utah, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their butt, doing drugs, while I work. Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

Email Subject Lines ...

Have you ever sent someone an email that you needed them to reply to? Or, do you frequently send emails that are "information only" and don't expect or need a reply? Do you ever get messages that have vague or non-descript subject lines? Here are several tips to make email life a little easier.

If you really need someone to reply to your email, try indicating that fact in the subject line. For example, suppose you send a message asking for some input for an upcoming meeting about a new restaurant idea called the Dog House. Try a subject line like this:

Subject: Menu Ideas for the Dog House ... Reply Requested

When the recipient receives the email, there should be no question that the you are expecting a reply. If you send a message that is for "information only", indicate that in the subject line like this:

Subject: Menu Ideas for the Dog House ... Information Only

How many times do you get an email with a subject line so vague, that you have no idea what the message is about? Or, how about the person that sends a two or three paragraph message just to tell you they will be out of the office next Friday? Here is a way to make the subject line be the message ... use EOM (End of Message) like this:

Subject: I will be Out-of-the-Office Next Friday, August 1, 2008 ... EOM

That's it! You don't need to put anything in the body of your message. Here are some benefits of using EOM:

1. EOM saves your recipient's time. Don't you value your time? Isn't it nice when others value your time too? By keeping your subject line short and using EOM you are showing the people you send to you value their time. They'll thank you for it (when they know what it means).
2. It saves you time. Why write the body of a message if you don't have to?
3. You craft better subject lines. One of the reasons people might glaze over when they receive your email is a subject line that doesn't grab them or give enough information. With EOM, you have no choice but to create a powerful subject line. The space for subjects is limited. You create better subject lines because you can't write a whole paragraph.
4. EOM encourages others to EOM. Once people see the resulting effectiveness of EOM, they will begin crafting EOMs of their own. It's win-win. You get concise, non-time wasting emails and they get the same.
5. EOM forces you to keep email messages focused on a single topic. Good email etiquette says you should keep the number of topics in an individual email to only one. If you have only one subject line to work with, you cannot cover more than one topic.
6. EOM guarantees 100% readership. We've all had the frustrating experience of waiting on someone to read our important email and respond. Sometimes we wait a long time and follow up to find out they haven't even read the message at all. Perhaps the most powerful advantage of EOM is 100% readership. Why? Because your entire message is in the subject line. Your message becomes impossible to ignore because it comes in front and center—no need to double click.

Give these ideas a try. Email is an essential part of our lives - both business and personal. Because most of us send and receive many emails every day, why not be as efficient as possible with our time and the time of those who receive our messages.

Gmail Archive - The Least Understood Button ...

Gmail's archive feature is likely the least understood button found on Gmail's navigation. What exactly does archive mean? Archive does not mean "backup" or some other form of off-site storage. It also doesn't mean that it files things away in hard to reach areas. It simply moves email out of your inbox. That's it.

Archived email is still immediately available using Gmail's search function or by clicking the All Mail button. The beauty of Archive is that it hides emails that you have processed. Once you're read an email, or read and responded to an email, clicking the archive button will save the email OUTSIDE of your inbox.

Once you're done with emails, stop looking at them. Turn your inbox into a place for pending issues ONLY.

The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs ...

There was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hotdogs.
He was hard of hearing so he had no radio.
He had trouble with his eyes so he had no newspapers.
But he sold good hot dogs.
He put up signs on the highway telling how good they were.
He stood by the side of the road and cried: "Buy a hotdog, Mister?"
And people bought.
He increased his meat and bun order.
He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade.
He finally got his son home from college to help him out.
But then something happened.
His son said: "Father haven't you been listening to the radio? Haven't you been reading the newspapers? There's a big recession. The Middle East situation is terrible. The budget deficit situation is worse."
Where upon the father thought, "Well, my son's been to college, he reads the papers and he listens to the radio, and he ought to know."
So the father cut down on his meat and bun orders, took down his advertising signs, and no longer bothered to stand out on the highway to sell his dogs.
And his hotdog sales fell almost over night.
"You're right, son," the father said to the boy.
We certainly are in the middle of a great recession.

Think It Over!

Be Kind ...

Entry in a diary: "Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true."

Quoted by Robert Brault in National Enquirer

Father's Day ...

There's an English proverb that goes: "One father is worth more than a hundred schoolmasters." Thanks, Dad!

Personal History ...

Have you started to write your Personal History? If not, here is why we should start:

"That which I do not in some way record will be lost at my death, and that which I do not pass on to my posterity, they will never have. The work of gathering and sharing eternal family keepsakes is a personal responsibility. It cannot be passed off or given to another."

Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander

WorldWide Telescope ...

The next time you feel like watching a movie, snuggle up to your computer instead and take a look at the WorldWide Telescope. You will be inspired and perhaps even spiritually moved to see what our Father in Heaven has created!

Another Quote...

How about this one from Andy Rooney:

"Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done."

Quote ...

As a parent, I think this quote from Harry S. Truman is right on the mark:

"I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it."

I Think This World is Perfect ...

When you have an extra minute, take a look at this Blog: I Think This World is Perfect. This is an example of how I hope my Blog grows and develops!

Get Rich Slowly ...

The past year or so I have occasionally looked at J.D. Roth's Get Rich Slowly web site and Blog for financial ideas and thoughts. You might want to check out the site also and put it on your daily or weekly reading schedule. Today there is a particularly good article on the differences between traditional and Roth IRAs. And, don't forget the 10/10 Rule ... (if anyone has forgotten the 10/10 Rule, let me know). Plus, let me know what you think of the site.