Agony
While there’s no good place to lose your wallet, downtown Honolulu just might be the one of worst. That’s exactly what I did Thursday afternoon on my way to the gym. I cancelled my planned workout, back-tracked my steps through downtown and finally walked to the Mauna Kea Police Sub-Station across the street from the homeless cafe.

HELP!
I was already making a mental list of things in my wallet; credit cards, drivers license and Social Security card. The guy in front of me was detailing the fight he was just in when my cell phone rang. An unfamiliar voice said, “Is this Ron Martin?” I excitedly said, “Yes.” My excitement rose even further when the voice said, “This is the security desk at 1000 Bishop, and I have this wallet with your business cards in it.”

Ecstasy
My feeling of agony turned instantly into one of ecstasy when I arrived at the security desk, met Kalyn Castro, inspected the inside of my wallet and found everything in tact. I reached into my pocket to give Kalyn a reward, but he wouldn’t hear of it. I said, “How about a signed book?” and he lit up like a Christmas tree. I walked right home, got him a book and took it back to him. We talked for a long time about honesty and success. I have made a new friend. His parting comment was, “Just think Mr. Martin, if you hadn’t have lost your wallet I probably never would have met you.” Pretty Cool Ending!

1935-2011 RIP
Art Parent and I worked together creating and building a million dollar company from the early 60’s to the early 80’s.

Visionary
Art could be as ferocious as a lion and as charming as a kitten. He was the true visionary in our company, I was the mass communicator of our mission.

On A Mission
During those years we raised our families, lived together in my house, worked together in his garage, played together all over the country and laughed together in our offices.

Industry Recognition
As a home party jewelry company we were innovators and looked up to by large companies in the Direct Selling Industry. Big companies like Mary Kay Cosmetics, Encyclopedia Britannica and others sought us out and picked our brains on how we used 3/4 video tape to train and motivate our thousands of “jewelers” across the nation.

“Aloha to Empress”
In 1981 Art bought me out, allowing me to move to Hawaii to Surf, Run and Play the rest of my life. Not a day has gone by that I didn’t think of the times we spent at Empress Pearls.

“Aloha Art”

I bid farewell to a good friend and dynamic business partner. May he Rest In Peace.

“No” “Stop” “You Can’t”
There are several others of course, but too many times we hear these words and the person saying them is insensitive to their impact.
I went into a fancy coffee shop in an exclusive department store the other day to meet with a client. Upon our arrival I saw that half of the tables were full and the other half empty. As we approached one of the empty tables an employee barked out, “You cannot sit there.” I stood there a bit stunned and as I was calculating my response she said, “We had a leak in the ceiling and needed to close that section.” What’s wrong with this scenario?

Reason First
The fact that we couldn’t use those tables was reasonable; her approach was not. It was only after my initial reaction (negative) to her first words that I knew why we couldn’t sit there. It would have been better if she originally had said, (in a polite tone) “I’m sorry, but we have a water leak from above and had to close off this section.” Not only would I have understood, but I wouldn’t want to sit there. Your first words set the stage; think first, speak later.

Many Differences
There are no doubt many differences between those that make up the “Animal Kingdom.” Some seem to be smarter than others, some more ferocious and others quite docile. Some are easily “trained” and others more difficult. And, they come in all sorts of shapes, colors and sizes. They speak different languages and reside in different places around the globe as well as under the sea.

The Human Animal
Humans are a part of the Animal Kingdom as well, and here again there are many differences to be seen. Some are nice; some are mean. Some sensitive and others not. They have different tastes and desires.

LOVE RULES
The one thing that most all animals understand is “Love” and I love seeing examples of it. To see one of my favorites, just CLICK RIGHT HERE: It’s an Amazing Story.

This letter is from Anne in Sendai, Japan where she has lived for the past decade teaching English. True humanity. I thought that this letter was very moving and would be of interest to many. It came to me from one of my readers I call “Runaway.” Mahalo 

Hello My Lovely Family and Friends,
 
First I want to thank you so very much for your concern for me. I am very touched. I also wish to apologize for a generic message to you all. But it seems the best way at the moment to get my message to you.
 
Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend’s home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candlelight, and share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.
 
During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in their home, they put out sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and buckets.
 
Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, “Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another.”
 
Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often. We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on. But all of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not. No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire group.
 
There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun. People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their dogs. All happening at the same time.
 
Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night. No cars. No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered with stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled. The mountains in Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see them silhouetted against the sky magnificently.
 
And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.
 
They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking, rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better off than others. Last night my friend’s husband came in from the country, bringing food and water. Blessed again.
 
Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don’t. Rather, I feel as part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave of 
birthing (worldwide) is hard and yet magnificent.
 
Thank you again for your care and Love of me,
With Love in return, to you all,
Anne

What is Gaman? CLICK HERE to see.

Creative, But Transparent

I have begun to save some of the blog comments I get that are obvious spam attempts to get published on this and other Blogs. It is almost humorous (if it wasn’t so irritating) to see how little the comment has to do with the post it was made on. It looks like they have some auto generated, generic comments that are supposed to look legitimate.

Sometimes they cut and paste a portion of my original post into the comment to make it appear authentic, but none of them are getting past me. I have the opportunity to approve, delete or mark as spam any comments sent. Once the comment is approved, the ads and links would appear in great volume on the Blog.

Here’s a list of some of the more popular comments, bad English and all, that I see all too often, and delete as spam. I will continue to add to this list as they come pouring in.

“Fine site!”

“Interesting”

“Cool”

“Good site!”

“Hello”

“News…”

“Hi this article is amazing. I will definitely read your site..”

“Dynamite review on To Succeed; LISTEN, and Pay CLOSE Attention! Thoroughly love this posts.”

“Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts !…”

“Great article. I am sure you’ll like our blog..”

“Amazing post. I think you’ll like my site.. Thanks”

“Ron Martin hammered out a great article…”

“Phenomenal review on… Always enjoy this articles!”

“Cool message.I think you will read my site.. See ya”

“I couldn’t understand some parts of this article Southwest Customer Dress Codes, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.”

“Hey!…Man i just love your blog, keep the cool posts comin.. holy Wednesday”

“Cool message. I think you’ll surf on my website. Ciao”

“Hello webmaster Super arts about Intense Exercise”

“Hi , i am looking for gift ideas n there are so many of them , so much so it leaves me confused and undecided what to get - maybe you would like to visit my website - happy holidays.”

“Interesting - because that is the same thing I found out last Thursday.”

“Good comment. It brought light to an old idea I had.”

“Whatz up, what entice you to post an article on Ron Raw - $10? This article was extremely interesting, especially since I was searching for thoughts on this subject last Saturday.”

“I was searching for KEYWORD at google and got this your post in search results. Not very relevant result, but still interesting to read :)…

“I would like to see a continuation of the topic”

“I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read….”

“Hi there…I Googled for king college, but found your page about Community Spirit…and have to say thanks. nice read.”

“Hi the comment is delightful. I will definitely read your site. bye”

“Hey!…I Googled for brighton ski, but found your page about Grouse Mountain; Vancouver BC…and have to say thanks. nice read.”

“Hello I was doing a search for real estate sales training and found myself here. My family could read this blog, and that makes a change I can tell you. You are a great find. Informative too.”

“Hello webmaster…I Googled for brenda anderson, but found your page about Pool Anyone?…and have to say thanks.”

“nice read.”

“I am glad to find this forum!”

“Good stuff, very nicely done!”

“Pretty nice forum, wants to see much more on it!”

“Very good contents…”

“The Author, you - genius…”

“\Hi there, I just wanted to say what a great site this is, I came across your site while searching around on Google. Your post, s Best Lawyers - Honolulu Design Center has some good info! Thanks again, keep up the good work and have a great Sunday!\.”

“Hi…Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts ! it was a great Sunday”

“Hello webmaster…Man i just love your blog, keep the cool posts comin..holy Sunday”

“I is pleasantly amazed! Thank!!!”

“Thank you! I delighted!”

“I was searching for \’Travel Honolulu\’ at google and got this your post (\’January 2008\’) in search results. Not very relevant result, but still interesting to read”

“Very nicely done forum.”

“Bonjour! j\’aime votre blog et High School Selling Class”

“Very good contents…”

“The Pleasing text and design!”

“Very good web forum, great work and thank you for your service.
Hi…I Googled for celebrity feet, but found your page about Customers – Employees - Rules!…and have to say thanks. nice read.”

“Excellent forum, added to favorites!”

“Your parents must be proud of you….”

“Very nicely done forum. Very good web forum, great work and thank you for your service. The Author, you - genius… I am glad to find this forum ! What beautiful text and visitors!”

“Excellent webforum!”

“Sorry but what do you mean about that? I cant understand really.”

“I was searching for \’Hawaii Cruise\’ at google and got this your post (\’Aloha Spirit\’) in search results. Not very relevant result, but still interesting to read”

“:) Alot of information, I have hever seen before a such useful thing. Thank you :)”

“Awesome opinion when it comes to Blu Light with Levulan. Your blogging is the reason I keep come back to website.”

“I couldn’t understand some parts of this article Morning Report, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.”

“This comment was posted automatically using Blog Comment Poster software. Would you like to make serious money in this way of advertising too? So start today!”

As irritating as it is, it is always nice to see creativity at work.

I am commited to keeping this Blog pure. If you ever see a comment, or post for that matter that you find offensive or not factual, please contact me and I will correct it immediately.

Making a Difference
I came across three different verions of the same story today. Some were longer and more elaborate than others, but all gave me the same feeling.
One was a poem by the famous writer Lauren Eisely.
The shortest one was tale told to children in Maine. It told of a small boy walking on the beach with his grandfather when they came across a live starfish that had been washed ashore by a storm the night before.
The boy picked it up and started to throw it back into the sea. His grandfather stopped him and asked him why he would do that. The boy said, “I throw starfish back into the sea so that they don’t die. They can’t move on the sand and if the sun comes out, they will dry out and die. So I am throwing them back so that they will live.”
His grandfather laughed at this statement and proceeded to put things in ‘perspective’ for the boy… “On this beach alone there are literally thousands of starfish? And then of course there are hundreds of beaches in the world, on which are thrown up millions of starfish in every storm. You are one kid; throwing one starfish into the sea will not make a difference”
The boy looked at the starfish in his hand, turned and threw it far into the waves and said, “It made a difference to that one!” Get it?

Make it ALL Count
Time seems to be more and more precious to me. As I enter into my 70th year on this planet there is a part of me that thinks I should “slow down” a bit. In fact, I think that I have. When first moving to Hawaii in 1981 one of my mentors, Tom O’Gwynn said, “Hawaii is different Ron, you need to slow down some.” My comment was, “How about I speed Hawaii up a bit?” Looking back I think I have done a little of both.

Daily News
There was a time that I read every page of the newspaper every day. I have had a “Love/Hate” relationship with the mainstream news media for most of my adult life. I love knowing what’s going on, but hate the negative spin put on most news stories. A while back I discovered a huge time saver. I just started scanning the paper for the good news. Give that a try. Some days there’s none in there at all.

See Added Clip at the End 

I was just asked  for some advice on how to deal with two strong salespeople who both are claiming credit for a sale. I dove into the archives and found this blog post. Here it is again: 

Seek Harmony on the Sales Floor and at Home:
Disagreements over little things can become big things if not handled properly and nipped in the bud. Anger is only one letter short of danger. Salespeople squabbling over a sale is one of the worst things that can happen in a store. I advise managers when this happens to just make it a “house sale.” People start working together pretty quickly when neither of them has anything to gain from the argument.
I read an article today offering advice on settling spousal disagreements. Hasn’t everyone had one of those? I found the tips to be just as valid as in the case of salesperson disagreements.
To read the article, CLICK HERE and give it some thought. 

This just added: CLICK HERE: WOW!

Revisited by Request 

Life Saver

Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Here are five things you may not know you can do with your cell phone.

FIRST

In an Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an Emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND

If you lock your keys in the car

If your car has remote keyless entry, it may come in handy someday. If you lock your keys In the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car or trunk will unlock. Distance is no object.

THIRD

Hidden Battery Power

Should your cell battery become very low, you can activate Hidden Battery Power by pressing the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell phone next time.

FOURTH

How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone

To check your Mobile phone’s serial number, key in the following Digits on your phone: *#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.

Should your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so that even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won’t get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can’t use it or sell it.