Filed under: On-Purpose, gratitude, positive, thought of the moment | Tags: celebration, contentment, discontent, gratitude, Happy, On-Purpose, purpose, Realizing Harmony, thankful
This clip of comedian Louis C.K.’s appearance on Conan’s show is a funny, clear explanation of how we take so many amazing things for granted. Some of the things he touches on include: telephones, banking, internet, and transportation.
I LOVE his little story:
This is what people are like: they’ve got their phone [acts out dialing on a cell phone] and they’re like, “Ugghh!!… … [waiting for a connection] It won’t… … “ GIVE IT A SECOND!!! It’s going to SPACE! Can you give it a SECOND to get back from SPACE? Is the speed of light too slow for you?
Then, after relating another funny story of someone getting frustrated with the failure of some totally new service he point out the ingratitude by saying, “How quickly the world owes him something he knew existed only 10 seconds ago?
Everything is Amazing, Nobody is Happy
We’re so quick to lose perspective.
As I’m writing this I’m reminded of an experience I had back in 1992. That was the year Intel released the 486DX2 which increased computer processing speed all the way up to 66MHz. (If my understanding is right, for comparison, current consumer-grade computers are frequently at least 45 times faster.)
I was tasked with putting together a small ad to place in a national magazine. A friend worked for one of the local mainframe computer companies. Their computers were among the best in the world for dealing with graphics – they had lots of memory, and were significantly faster than anything else out there.
Well, we had scanned in images of the album, and each of those images took up about 10-15 MB of memory. (Which at that time was an awful lot, given that one had a “lot” of storage if one’s hard drive could handle two or three of that size image.) We were trying out different layouts, and my friend was getting really frustrated and upset when it took the computer 10-20 seconds to process our changes. (At one point he was so frustrated, he yanked out one of the computer’s sheets of circuits and, using some tools, tweaked a few things before shoving it back into place.) Mind you, this was a machine that was valued at something well in excess of $100,000. And no other computer any of my friends had access to could have completed one of those processes in less than an hour. The computer’s processing was amazing but he wasn’t happy.
I was amazed… both with the computer and with my friend’s reaction. I wasn’t just content, I was very grateful. Today, I can’t honestly say that would be my gut reaction. Do you, like me, find yourself becoming less content and less grateful for the amazing things we are able to do?
Let’s work on developing a better sense of contentment and gratitude. First step: pay attention to the amazing, wonderful things in life.
Filed under: On-Purpose, positive, thought of the moment | Tags: coach, Mission, On-Purpose, purpose, Realizing Harmony, sportsmanship, Values, Vision
Most coaches are upset when a basketball player misses a free-throw. But this situation was different, and coach Dave Rohlman made sure his player knew that this time he was expected to miss the shots. “You realize you’re going to miss them, don’t you?” Rohlman said. Darius McNeal nodded his head. He understood, and missed the free-throws by a mile! What was going on?
It was a lesson in sportsmanship.
Here’s another account of this amazing, unusual story of sportsmanship… no, it’s not so much sportsmanship as it is selflessness. Sportsmanship would be playing the game sincerely and to the best of one’s ability within the rules and spirit of the game without gloating over a win or doing anything unreasonable to harm another, nor getting unreasonably upset.
Despite winning this particular game
It hasn’t been the greatest season for the team, but they have stuck together through a lot of adversity.
“We maybe don’t have the best basketball players in the world but they go to class and take care of business,” (Milwaukee coach) Womack said. “We have a losing record but there’s life lessons going on, good ones.”
None so good, though, as the moment a team and a player decided there were more important things than winning and having good stats.
I loved the comment DeKalb coach Rohlman later made:
“This is something our kids will hold for a lifetime. They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they’ll remember what happened in that gym that night.”
As we live and work and interact with others, what can we do to develop a sensitivity to what’s most important? To live out our personal Purpose, Vision(s), and Mission(s) in alignment with our core Values?
Filed under: Happy News, Optimal Health | Tags: harmony, health, hearing, hearing loss, music, On-Purpose, progressive hearing loss, realizing, Realizing Harmony, research, results
As an Audio Engineer, Musician, and one who has several family members who are in various stages of hearing loss, this article grabbed my attention.
In parallel studies in human and mouse, two groups of researchers have come to the same conclusion: that a new kind of gene is associated with progressive hearing loss. The new gene – called a microRNA – is a tiny fragment of RNA that affects the production of hundreds of other molecules within sensory hair cells of the inner ear.
This is some rather good news!
In order to solve a problem, one must first identify the problem. We’ve done that… in specifying that progressive hearing loss is a problem.
The next critical step is to then identify the source of the problem. If only the problem, and not the source is identified, it’s likely that the only thing treated will be symptoms. And treating only symptoms can create even more problems.
At this point we’re still only able to treat the symptoms of progressive hearing loss. Most often that’s done by making things louder… either yelling, turning up the volume on the sound system, using hearing aid(s), or some combination of those options. But none of those really fixes the real problem… that hearing is progressively declining. In fact, they may be causing even more hearing loss.
But with this new breakthrough in research, we may (hopefully) soon be able to find a remedy if not cure for progressive hearing loss. Think of all the people who would be helped by this.
… by the age of ten, one in 500 children has suffered significant hearing impairment and the majority of over-70s are affected.
Meanwhile, we can each do our part to protect our own hearing by Practicing Safe Sound.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday… the day Christians celebrate the best news of all. If you’re not familiar with that best news, let me recommend you stop in at a Christian church tomorrow morning to find out what it’s all about.
Meanwhile, let me share some good news I just read about over on Neal Boortz’s website. Mind you, Neal is normally a bit of a curmudgeon with a sense of humor. He likes to call himself “the high priest of the church of the painful truth” and often says “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad.” He really likes to stir things up. However… what I was reading today, while written with a backhanded slap at the new administration, is actually some pretty good, encouraging news! Here’s what he said:
… in efforts to leave you with a good taste in your mouth for this Easter weekend, I’ll tell you a quick story.
You can find the whole thing on CNN, but there is a state park on Hawaii’s Kauai island. And this Polihale State Park has been closed since December after suffering severe flooding. In fact, the flooding was so bad that it destroyed an access road to the park. So even if you wanted to get to the Polihale State Park, you couldn’t.
Local residents and business owners started to get nervous. Months went by and our wonderful, all-knowing, all-powerful government did not come to the rescue. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources estimated that it would cost $4 million to fix the damages, including the access road to the park. They also said it would take two years before it would be fixed. And that was if .. in these economic times .. there was money in the budget to do so.
So rather than sit around and wait for the government to do something, the people of Kauai came together and did the repairs themselves. It only took them eight days to finish all the repairs. Eight days .. compared to two years. And it didn’t cost the taxpayers a dime.
One volunteer said, “We can wait around for the state or federal government to make this move, or we can go out and do our part … Just like everyone’s sitting around waiting for a stimulus check, we were waiting for this but decided we couldn’t wait anymore.”
Good for them!
The truly amazing of this story is that the government didn’t step in and prevent these people from handling the situation themselves.
We really need more people like this… ignoring the negative news from the media and government, and acting responsibly to solve or resolve their own problems instead of waiting for a handout from the government which will only get that handout by confiscating it from someone else who earned it.
Can the problems be solved?
YOU BET!!!
And this story is just one example of a group of people who proved it can be done… faster and better than the government can or will.
Filed under: Fun | Tags: Focus, Hocus Pocus, House of the King, music, Realizing Harmony
A while back, I was trying to fill in my music collection. There was an instrumental piece that one of my older brothers unintentionally introduced me to – back in the early ’70s – that has bounced around in my head over the years. I had knew the piece was by a band called “Focus.” But I wasn’t sure of the title. The only song title by them that I could recall was “Hocus Pocus.” I remember thinking it was funny… asking for “Hocus Pocus by Focus.”
So, when filling in my collection, my wife offered to use some free download-bucks to buy me some one-hit-wonder music, and I chose Hocus Pocus by Focus as one of them.
It’s a fun tune, but not the one I remembered.
Here, for your enjoyment, is one hyper-fast live version I just found. The studio version my wife downloaded for me is quite a bit slower, but still fun. I just doesn’t quite have that drugged/uppers/speed vibe to it. 
Anyway, today I was surfing the web again, and ran across the REAL song I remembered. The one that’s been bouncing around in my head is really called “House Of The King.” Here’s the original music video of it.
Just for fun, here is a link to a live version where Jan Akkerman breaks a string (48 seconds in) and yet continues playing without too many in the audience noticing any difference.
The best version I’ve found (both audio and video are good) is this one from a 1990 reunion performance:
Filed under: Health and Fitness, Optimal Health, lose weight | Tags: Carbohydrate, change, check with your Doctor, eating, exercise, fitness, health, Health & Fitness, Health and Fitness, health point, healthpoint, HealthPointe, healthy, keep it off, lose weight, minerals, movement, nutrition, On-Purpose, purpose, Realizing Harmony, South Beach Diet, SouthBeach Diet, success, supplements, Take Shape For Life, TSFL, victory, water, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers
Here’s some advice I just found from Dr. Duke Johnson
You have a great opportunity to … [make] lifestyle changes that will allow you to enjoy a new level of health and vitality. I suggest that you start making a few changes, today! When these changes become a natural part of your lifestyle in a few weeks, make a few more changes. Everything begins with a single step. Everyone can make at least one lifestyle change.
Here is a reference list for you to use to make lifestyle changes now.
- See your doctor before you begin any weight-loss program. [Note: Does this sound familiar?] Working with your doctor, have your homocysteine, cholesterol panel, fasting sugar, fasting insulin, triglycerides, and thyroid function checked.
- Start moving your body. Make sure to check with your doctor to see where you should start your exercise program. Park farther out at the grocery store, use the stairs instead of the elevator, or walk your pet more often. Usually, just beginning some activity will make you feel better.
- Learn to closely calculate the number of calories you are consuming per day. It doesn’t have to be exact and should only take a day or two to learn how. Enlist the professional help of a dietitian or nutritionist if you need additional education on how many calories you should be consuming per day. [Note: A simpler alternative to calorie-counting is to follow the HealthPointe Wellness Program. Please leave a comment if you are interested in getting more information, noting whether or not you'd prefer to have your comment published.]
- Take a serious look at how to lose weight with lifestyle changes rather than fad diets.
- Learn about the fats. Reduce the “bad” fats in your diet – high-saturated, trans, animal, and partially hydrogenated oils.
- Support optimal health by making sure you’re giving your body the essential vitamins like B, C, D, E, calcium, chromium, magnesium, and other minerals. Be sure to discuss your diet with a medical professional to make sure you’re taking the right supplements to meet your nutritional needs.
- Make fruits and vegetables a priority with five to seven servings per day.
- All carbohydrates aren’t bad, and you need to have a balance of “good” carbs in your diet to achieve optimal health.
- Consume fewer processed foods. Add fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean meats to avoid additional salt and empty calories.
- Reduce simple sugars and high-fructose corn syrup.
- Stop smoking or reduce smoking. If you can’t stop smoking, reducing your cigarettes per day is better than not reducing at all.
- Get help if you’re having trouble with stress or depression. Stress suppresses your immune function. Get help from a trained professional or lay counselor. There are many agencies that offer free or reduced-fee counseling services depending on your situation.
- Reduce your blood pressure through healthy weight loss – eating less and moving more.
Choose a couple of items on this list that you can do. The key is to take the first step! Optimal health doesn’t come in a container. It comes from making lifestyle changes. Come on, let’s get serious about our health! You and your loved ones will be glad you did.
We all know that the more closely we follow these guidelines, the closer we’ll come to having Optimal Health!
Filed under: thought of the moment | Tags: change, harmony, On-Purpose, purpose, realizing, Realizing Harmony, science
An analysis of scientific articles’ impact recently disclosed that although other articles’ citations are the “gold standard”, another valid measure is to look at the unique downloads.
This reminds me of an experience I had more than 10 years ago…
I was working as the Music Buyer in an independent Christian retail store. At that time, the national sales charts had been created using data gathered from stores.
Sounds reasonable, right? After all, who would know better than a Music Buyer what has sold?
Problem was, the Music Buyers who were being surveyed unintentionally – or at least I assume it was unintentional – introduced their own biases and blind-spots.
Then one day along came SoundScan. Rather than just polling Music Buyers, SoundScan collected information from the stores’ computer-generated sales records. Suddenly, Country Music showed up on the charts. Everyone was shocked to discover that Country Music was “suddenly” popular.
A while later, SoundScan was introduced to the Christian Retailing industry. And, voila! “Suddenly” Christian Music was surprisingly popular.
I remember reading about the shock of the mainstream Music Buyers as they suddenly saw one artist in particular show up on the charts – Michael W. Smith. He was instantly well up in the Top 100, yet few of the Buyers had ever heard of him, much less, considered him a top seller.
To be fair, aside from these “surprises”, there weren’t really huge differences. I doubt there was much more than a 10-20% change of any kind to the charts. The previously “Top Selling” artists didn’t suddenly disappear completely from the charts. And, with few exceptions (such as Michael W. Smith), “unknowns” didn’t suddenly dominate the charts.
Now, back to the present. With this suggestion of using unique hits as a predicter of a particular science article’s impact, three things will likely happen:
1) The impact predictions will come much faster – 2 years, according to the analysis article.
2) The results of this new prediction model will, due to coming out first, impact the citations – leading to them being a self-fulfilling prophecy.
3) There will be less bias in the predicitons since they won’t be based on others’ biased opinion about which scientific articles are worth citing.
Filed under: On-Purpose, Time, victory journal | Tags: 4-hour work week, change, effective, efficient, exercise, fitness, health, Health & Fitness, Health and Fitness, mortgage, On-Purpose, productive, purpose, Realizing Harmony, success, time management, victory, victory journal, waste
Today was an amazingly productive day and yet strangely, I felt like I’d wasted a whole bunch of time.
I’ve been reading The 4-Hour work Week
He made a funny comment about a good way to get a raise is to look busy at work. And one way to do that is to walk around carrying a pile of papers and constantly talking on your cell phone to business associates. People will see you busily doing something all day and say of you, “they’re so busy… they deserve a raise!” Now the vast majority of companies don’t work that way, at least I hope for their sake they don’t, but there is a grain of truth to that.
We do tend to fill our days with all manner of busy stuff – checking for voicemail messages, disrupting everything for every email or text message or twitter. Checking our favorite sites for the latest news – CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Drudge Report, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, etc., etc. When for the most part, none of that has any direct bearing on our immediate lives (other than to get us upset about the latest bad news) and relatively little of real importance for us to know that we couldn’t find out in far less time.
He gives an example of how he quickly got himself up-to-speed for a Presidential election – tapping into the insights from several like-minded smart friends, and then watching the debates before making his decision. He saved himself all the time of listening/watching every “talking head” pontificate about their perspective and opinion of every single statement and faux pas of each candidate from the first announcement of their candidacy – through the primaries and party conventions – and on into the final stretch leading up to the election. (If you think about it, it’s kinda scary how much time we can waste on something like that!) Note: he’s not advocating voting in complete ignorance. He is advocating cutting the time spent educating yourself way down. It’s effective (or, if you prefer, on-purpose, wise, or important) to be educated, but get educated efficiently.
Back to the concept I’ve been reading about… ruthlessly eliminating wasteful activity.
Today I decided to take some (for me) radical steps to eliminate time-wasters. I cut way back on the number of times I checked email, I didn’t go to the two news/opinion sites I normally visit each day, I didn’t surf through another trade/commentary site that normally takes up quite a bit of time, etc. Instead, I intentionally focused on accomplishing important things. Things that I’ve determined are important to me – for income and/or long-term enjoyment of/purpose in life.
So, what did I accomplish?
1) I made significant headway in moving a loan application forward to help a couple refinance their home and save them about $100/month, while giving them my best advice to improve their situation.
2) I completed several lessons in Spanish. Moving me that much closer to my goal of being fluent enough in Spanish that I’ll one day be able to carry on at least a 5 minute conversation completely in Spanish with some of the Hispanics in our area.
3) I dealt with a plumbing problem with Mom’s bathroom sink… disassembled the drain pipe, cleaned out the muck that was making it drain slowly and gurgle, then reassembled it. OK, so I still have to go to the plumbing supply store to get some parts to eliminate the tiny leak that remains. But at least it drains quickly and doesn’t gurgle any more!
Oh yeah, I also got in a bit of a workout first thing in the morning… something that’s been erratic at best!
All that, and I still had plenty of extra time! Which lead to my feeling like I was wasting a lot of time. Remember, I had determined I wasn’t going to do several activities that waste time while looking busy. So I ended up wasting the time in other ways. Some of that time was spent just doing nothing. You know, taking a real break. And although I missed the busy-ness of looking for things (email, v-mail) or just looking at things (facebook, news/opinionsites, and other web pages), I don’t think I was any the poorer for having stopped.
Tomorrow I’m going to try to do something similar, but with one significant change: I’m going to plan tonight what I’ll do tomorrow – both for my productive time as well as for my leisure time. I won’t plan my day within an inch of it’s life. There’s no point in trying to cram every single minute full of “stuff.” But I’ll have a better general idea of what I want to do – both for productivity as well as leisure.
It should be another amazing and hopefully not-quite-as-strange day!
Filed under: Fun | Tags: cell phone, everything, Fun, humor, iPhone, the kitchen sink
My sister-in-law pointed this out. She found out about it from her very-tech-savvy daughter.
I think I’ve GOT to get me one of these Pomegranate Phones. How about you?
