#09 - Throwing Away Good Food

Are you paying money for good food and then throwing it out? No! Why would I or any other sane human being do such a silly thing? Exactly my concern. Let us consider some of the facts or at the very least, the ways this could possibly happen.

Items fall off the shopping cart and get squashed or dirty.

Items get damaged in the bag or in the car on the way home.

The kids leave part of their meal on the plate.

The kids use things (cold cuts, cheese, milk, juice) and leave them on the kitchen counter.

We cut off the ends - cheese, bread, fruits.

We cooked too much for the family.

At home, we take more than we could eat.

At the restaurant, we get more than we could eat or get items we don't like e.g. veggies.

No one eats the left over from the fridge.

Items remain too long in the cupboard or the refrigerator.

Occasionally, we have a power outage and the contents of the freezer and the refrigerator goes in the garbage.

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#08 - Books Worth Reading

So many books worth reading, so little time! These words should be indelibly etched on every heart and emblazoned in every home, in every school and on billboards across the land.

Why? Because reading builds your ability to handle words with fluency and imagination. Reading is undoubtedly the most rewarding activity for any active mind and ... there are so many books just waiting to be read. Literally waiting to take us by the hand on mystical journeys to far away places. Patiently waiting to introduce us to the great men and women who walked the earth throughout the ages.

What did they have to say about reading?

• One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time. Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (1934-1996)
• The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest men of past centuries. Rene Descartes, philosopher and mathematician (1596-1650)

And, what did they say about books?

• It was books that connected me with all the people who have ever been alive. James Baldwin, writer (1924-1987)
• It is chiefly through books that we interact with superior minds. William Ellery Channing, clergyman and writer (1780-1842)

As the years go by, I realize more and more how important it is to invest time (not spend time) reading good books. Two of my favorite authors are Og Mandino and Robin Sharma. Other great authors include Zig Ziggler and Les Brown.

In 1970, I read Run Baby Run by Nicky Cruz. It was the first book I read after high school. Thirty-four years later -- November 2004, I read it again. The story of Nicky Cruz is as relevant today as it was back then.

His answer to the problem was love and faith in God. Ironically, it is still the answer today. His most poignant message was this; "God's grace can take hold of a man in an instant and transform a sinner into a saint."

Since then, I've read many good books; some are listed below, in alphabetical order, for easy reference:

• Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins
• Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
• Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
• Second Thoughts by Mort Crim
• See You At The Top by Zig Ziggler
• Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• Lincoln the Unknown by Dale Carnegie
• Live Your Dreams by Les Brown
• Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
• Night, Dawn, The Accident by Eli Wiesel
• Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
• Return to Laughter by Elenore Smith Bowen
• Stories from the Vinyl Café by Stuart McLean
• The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
• The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma
• Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Unconditional Love by John Powell, S.J.

Many of these are probably at your local library just waiting to be read! If not, you may buy them from your local bookstore.

The Internet made it very easy for us to access the written works of "superior minds" and "the finest men and women of past centuries." We are privileged to be alive today, to experience the excitement of the Information Age.

This is undoubtedly the most exciting time in the history of the world and we, both you and me, have been chosen to be part of it. Let's participate with gusto!

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#07 - Famous Last Words

Think carefully before you write or speak! The passage of time has the uncanny ability of proving you right or wrong! Consider these statements, reportedly made by leading minds of yesteryear ...

Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further development. Julius Frontinus (highly respected engineer in Rome, 1st century A.D.)

Everything that can be invented has been invented. C. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899

A man has been arrested in New York for attempting to extort funds from ignorant and superstitious people by exhibiting a device which he says will convey the human voice any distance over metallic wires so that it will be heard by the listener at the other end. He calls this instrument a telephone. Well-informed people know that it is impossible to transmit the human voice over wires. News item in an 1868 New York paper

This telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. This device is inherently of no value to us. Western Union, 1876

Radio has no future. Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible. X-rays will prove to be a hoax. William Thomson, Lord Kelvin English scientist, 1899

Who the hell wants to hear actors talk? H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927

I'm just glad it will be Clark Gable who falls on his face, not Gary Cooper. Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in Gone With The Wind.

We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out. Decca Records, 1962 (rejecting the Beatles)

I think there is a world market for maybe 5 computers. Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943

Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons. Popular Mechanics, 1949

But what is it good for?" commenting on the microchip. Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968

There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. Ken Olson, president, chairman, founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

640K of RAM ought to be enough for anybody. Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft, 1981

The super computer is technologically impossible. It would take all of the water that flows over Niagara Falls to cool the heat generated by the number of vacuum tubes required. Professor of Electrical Engineering, New York University

I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year. The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957

There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will. Albert Einstein, 1932

There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom. Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1923

The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular? In response to urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s. David Sarnoff' Associates (president of RCA)

Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction. Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872

The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon. Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria 1873

Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau. Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929

The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C', the idea must be feasible. A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. Smith went on to found Federal Express.

A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make. Response to Debbi Fields' idea of starting Mrs. Fields' Cookies

If I had thought about it, I wouldn't have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can't do this. Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M "Post-It" Notepads.

Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy." Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil, 1859

I don't know what use any one could find for a machine that would make copies of documents. It certainly couldn't be a feasible business by itself. The head of IBM, refusing to back the idea, forcing the inventor to found Xerox

Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value. Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre, France

And last but not least... There will never be a bigger plane built. Boeing engineer after the first flight of the 247; a twin engine plane that carried ten people.

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#06 - The Word of God

Many of us wholeheartedly agree that the Word of God is as relevant today as it was when it was written. Yet, for some unknown reason, we have never read it from cover to cover. "Are we going to do something about that today?"

You may already know that the Bible is the most wonderful book that was ever written. It actually consists of 73 different books; 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. It is said that the first word of the New Testament was written by St. Matthew about 42 A.D. and the last word was written, 55 years later, by St. John.

Paul's letters are the oldest Christian documents we have. The first of them was written within 25 years of Jesus' death, and the last may have been written before any of the gospels. These letters are also the largest collection of writings by any one person in the New Testament.

The finest piece of reading is said to be in Acts 26 and the shortest verse is John 11:35, "Jesus wept." The Bible gives us spiritual nourishment for the soul and parts of it are read at each Mass for our help and edification. We "speak" to Him when we pray but we "hear" Him when we read His Word!

"The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." John 6:63

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and succeed in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11

Dear God, I believe that you speak with your children.
Speak to me Lord and I'll do my best to follow Your Word.

Over the years, many authors created inspiring works with words ... the infamous Desiderata is one. My favorite is the words of the hymn "You are Near" (based on Psalm 139).

O God, I know you are near,
standing always at my side.
You guard me from the foe,
and you lead me in ways everlasting.

Where can I run from your love?
If I climb to the heavens you are there;
if I fly to the sunrise or sail beyond the sea,
still I'd find you there.

It is no secret that words are powerful tools for everyday life. They can be used to praise the worthy, teach the ignorant, cheer the unhappy, warm the lonely, encourage the defeated, uplift the despondent, calm the angry and goad the quitter. They could also be used to say important things like "I love you".

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#05 - The Last Words of Jesus

The authors of the four gospels each have different accounts of the last words spoken by Jesus before His death on the Cross.

"E'lo.i, E'lo.i, le.ma' sa.bach'tha.ni?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Mark 15:34
"E'li, E'li, le.ma' sa.bach'tha.ni?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Luke 46:46
"It is finished." John 19:30

To fully comprehend that moment, we must prayerfully contemplate all four accounts. We must also consider what happened prior to that moment.

According to Luke: One of the criminals who was hanged there kept deriding Him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"

But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." Luke 23:39-43

After listening to these words for many, many years, I realized that Jesus did not respond to the blasphemous thief. To me, this is very powerful! It says that we too, could follow Jesus' example and refuse to respond when others taunt us with their words or actions. It is imperative that we understand that refusing to respond to aggressive behavior is not weakness!

In Peter's first letter, he said of Christ's suffering, "When He was abused, He did not return abuse; when He suffered, He did not threaten; but He entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly." 1 Peter 2:23

In the letter to the Romans, Paul said, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Romans 12:14,17,19

This tells us that it is OK to leave things in God's hands! It is OK to choose not to respond for these are the marks of a true Christian! It is also very important that we do not mistake people's honesty and integrity for cowardice.

The second revelation during that faithful Easter Season came from the "good" thief. In spite of his current situation, he was able to win the Heart of Jesus.

How? By acknowledging his wrongdoing and taking a stand! He chose to do something about the unjust remarks that the other thief was making. Then, he expressed his faith with these immortal words, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

In return, the forgiving Jesus offered him the gift of all gifts when He said, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." Are we standing up for those who are being persecuted by others? Are we using our words to create peace and win the Heart of Jesus when we speak with others?

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#04 - God's Love

This came to me by email and I would like to share it with you.

No one falls in love by choice, it is by Chance.
No one stays in love by chance, it is by Work.
And no one falls out of love by chance, it is by Choice.

If you love this man please share this post with your friends.

He did something for you, now do something for Him. Spread his word, and you'll be rewarded. How?

Matthew 10:32 reads, "Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven."

God is going to shift things around for you tonight and let things work in your favor. If you believe this, share this with the people you want to bless. You must have unwavering faith. God bless you!

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#03 - Choosing Friends and Associates

Choose your friends and associates carefully. If you hang around gripers and groaners, you'll end up doing a lot of griping and groaning. If you hang around losers, you'll end up losing ... more often than not.

If at all possible, get connected to one or two good, decent, value-driven, success-oriented, results-proven individuals. Spend time with them. Learn from them. If you can't get connected to them, you can still model yourself after them. After all, there's no need to learn the hard way. Learn from someone who has an IMAGE you'd like and has already figured out the right way to do things. Follow their example.

According to business philosopher Jim Rohn, "You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking? And most important, what do they have me becoming? Then ask yourself the big question, is that okay?"

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#02 - The Family Structure

Traditionally, the family structure consists of a married couple; mother and father with their progeny. But, as we all know, it does not stop there. In fact, it did not even start there.

We all have ancestors -- parents, grand parents, great grand parents and so on. Our great grand parents also had their parents, grand parents, etc. The lineage goes backwards though the ages and hopefully, will continue into the future as each generation produce their descendants.

This brings us to one of the important roles of the family -- procreation. Many of us revere the role, and rightfully so, while others tend to consider it as inconsequential. The introductory paragraphs already confirmed that it is anything but inconsequential.

Without procreation, there will be no future! This alone accentuates the value of the family structure, which is by no means simple.

The norm is for every family member to be the product of two different family structures. This rationale introduces maternal and paternal lineages, each with their own relationship to other family structures.

Likewise, every family member who wishes to participate in the normal process of creating the future is required to join with another family structure to do so. This puts each and every one of us in the middle of very complex maze of relationships.

How do we participate? Historically, men foraged for food; they did the hunting and gathering. In more contemporary parlance, they went out to work and brought home the bacon -- they did the laborious work. In that picture, women stayed at home, made the babies and cooked the bacon.

That is a gross understatement because the women who stayed at home were involved in something much more important that gathering and hunting. They were actually creating and nurturing the future generation. In many cultures, these roles have changed significantly and are expected to continue changing. The future of humankind depends on it!

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The family is the nucleus of civilization. William J. Durant, American Historian, Essayist (1885-1981)

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Observation: Men of previous generations were either very lucky or very smart. They were allowed to sit around, enjoy life and live like the king of the castle while the women did all the household chores.

Women of previous generations were "one person" production lines. They produced the meals and the children while tending the crops and searching for new wives to keep their husbands happy. I know. That was a long time ago!

Interestingly, in spite of that unequal division of labor and responsibility, many of the women outlived the men by a significant margin and continue to do so today.

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#01 - How to Stop Procrastinating

I recently received an email indicating that my senior manager’s new blog was available. In it he offered to give away five free copies of three different books to any staff who wanted one. All we had to do was write a comment and indicate our interest in receiving one of the books. There was one that I wanted.

I immediately scrolled down and realized that no one had yet responded. Thinking that I had all the time in the world to respond, I casually typed my comment. As I was about to submit it, I felt a little uneasy about being the first person to request a "free" book from the boss and decided to wait for a while.

When I finally hit the submit button the refreshed page indicated that fourteen other employees had indicated their interest while I procrastinated. I narrowly missed a great opportunity because of procrastination.

Many people have found themselves wondering how to stop procrastinating. Some people tackle their to-do list with gusto while others feel overwhelmed by approaching or missed deadlines. The latter passively fall further behind. Fortunately, there is a solution – it is commonly known as, “Action”. Follow these simple time-tested tips and take charge of your life today.

1. Be honest! Don’t say things like, “I am not procrastinating; I am busy doing other things.”
2. Stop thinking. Start doing. Start with a simple to-do list – you don’t want to forget the important things. It will also remind you that you do have things to do.
3. Don’t make mountains out of molehills – you have what it takes to complete those tasks. Most tasks are easier than they appear to be. If a task threatens to consume your mentally energy, do it as soon as possible. Get rid of it!
4. Experience some successes; do the easy tasks first – a shorter to-do list is less intimidating. Cross out tasks as you complete them and occasionally remake the list.
5. Focus on the important tasks – you don’t want to miss deadlines.
6. Have a positive mental attitude – don’t let negative thoughts steal your joy. Think of the benefits of completing each task and the resulting freedom to do what you really want to do.
7. Don’t let perfectionism stand in your way – in most cases “good enough” now is better than “perfect” later.
8. Ask for help – use whatever resources are available to you.
9. Finish what you start – don’t start a task and leave it undone. Incomplete tasks remain on your to-do list and result in unnecessary clutter.
10. Finally, do the things you want to do – you deserve to have some fun too. It is easy to have fun when all the important tasks are done.

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In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. Theodore Roosevelt

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One of the common causes of procrastination is when we opt to do the things we want to do before the things we have or ought to do. Too many futile hours are wasted in front of the TV or computer. If you start your day by doing all the things you “have” to do, you will have lots of time to do the things you “want” to do.

When you procrastinate you lower your self-esteem and send signals back to yourself that you are a lame and indecisive person. You don’t need that!

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