Cut These Out…

And Do More of This…

Or Risk This…
Which would you prefer? This recent CBS News story quoted the authors of a joint American-British study on how to cut cancer risks. The results were pretty amazing. According to the study, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the most important thing you can do to live longer and be healthier.  
The research suggested that about a third (34 percent) of all cancer cases in America could be prevented by simply eating better, exercising more and maintaining healthier weights. Simple lifestyle changes could prevent as many as 38 percent of breast cancer cases and 45 percent of bowel cancers in the U.S. Those are BIG numbers! 
The study said quite clearly that if you eat right and exercise and you’ll probably live longer. It said to work out at least 20 to 30 minutes a day, at least four days every week. That sounds doable (and worth it) to me.

Now More Dynamic Than Ever

“A quotation at the right moment is like bread in a famine.”
-Talmud

I have been inspired by memorable quotes as long as I can remember, even when I don’t know who the author was, like Talmud. I have been collecting quotes that I find inspiring and motivational for many years. I started sending a daily quotation to “My Favorite People” shortly after learning to use the computer. I love how wisdom aquired over the years can be imparted in a few short words. 

“A proverb is a short sentence based on long experience.”
-Miguel de Cervantes

In time I began adding other motivational stories and links to my daily e-mail, figuring that as long as I was sending it out, I might as well make it as valuable as possible to my readers. Without realizing it, this was slowly becoming a larger and larger daily task of love. My list of Favorite People had grown to the point where it was being seen as Spam by some e-mail systems.

Oh No!
Eventually my own e-mail server accused me of Spamming and shut down my outgoing e-mail. I was ready to stop sending out the e-mail quotes; after all there was no money in it; nothing for me but work and aggravation. But, as is the case with many things, the problem led to the solution and I discovered Constant Contact. With Constant Contact I could create my message and send to as many people as I want, more professionally without the Spam threats. Furthermore Constant Contact provided me with the opportunity to let people “Opt-In” to the list directly from the front page of my website without me having to add them into my address book and onto my quote list.
If you are reading this blog, but not yet getting my Daily Motivator, just CLICK HERE and sign up. It’s free, confidential and you can “Opt-Out” just as easily any time you choose to.

Borders; Kahala Mall
As soon as I read about the upcoming release of former Governor Ben Cayatano’s book; BEN, I sent Ben e-mail asking where I can get a signed copy. He kindly responded (the same day) that they would be available in mid February. When I read that the first signing would be at Borders in Kahala Mall, I put it on my calendar and got there early.

Real Early
I sensed that there would be a crowd to hear what Ben had to say, and I wanted to be in the front row. I bought my leather bound edition, which wasn’t even there yet, grabbed a seat up front, and began browsing through one of the many paperback copies on display. While still Governor, Ben invited me on more than one occassion to sit in on a meeting at the state capital. I was honored to do that, and even more honored when he said, “Call me Ben.”

Packed House
Within minutes after my arrival the bookstore seating area was overflowing with fans and interested parties there to get a copy of BEN.

Street Kid Becomes Governor
Before the signing line formed, Ben talked about some of what is in the book, sharing with us that he was born and raised in the blue collar community of Kalihi, graduated from Farrington High school in 1958, studied hard to get a law degree, and on November 8, 1994 became the first Filipino-American governor in United States.

Call me Ron
When Ben was signing my book I said, “Call me Ron.” He had actually called me by name during his talk, and I’m sure that he dosn’t recall the day, when as Governor he told me to call him Ben. I’m sure that meant more to me than it could have to him.

First Lady Vicky Cayetano
In 1997 Miss Vicky Tiu bacame Mrs. Vicky Cayetano and the 1st Lady for the state of Hawaii. Vicky was the long time president and chief executive officer of United Laundry Services, Inc. In the 60’s Vicky played a major supporting role opposite Elvis Presley in the musical film “It Happened at the World’s Fair.” On my way out I was able to see Vicky Cayatano too. All of this made for a great Saturday Morning.

550 Pages
This part will most likely last many more Saturday mornings; and then some. I am loving it already!
Mahalo Ben.

It’s All About YOU
This story in today’s Honolulu Advertiser points out the importance of being aware of your “On-Line Reputation.” The article talks about how you might look to a prospective employer, but I suggest there are other reasons, possibly even more important than job searching, like impressing a business client or even a possible future life partner.
Most truly qualified people that want to work already have a job or business. There are exceptions to that however, such as those just relocating to Hawaii and perhaps embarking on a whole new career or lifestyle.
In any case, your reputation is important and there may be more information about you than you realize sitting on the Internet awaiting a simple Google search. After reading this article I did as suggested, and searched my own name. Wow; I had no idea how much was out there. To see just one example of this Click Here.
I suggest that you read the Advertiser story and then check yourself out. After all, someone else may be doing just that right now.

Sunrise Breakfast 2-19-09
Small Business Hawaii members always bring healthy appetites to this monthly meeting, and once the chow line opens up, they are quick to line up.

Pam Chambers Presents…
Public Speaking coach Pam Chambers was this month’s featured speaker at the Small Business Hawaii Sunrise Breakfast. Pam’s tips on public speaking have given needed confidence to many people in Hawaii amd on the mainland since the early 80’s.

Presentation Tips
Pam’s presentation tips today were not on public speaking, but rather on the one-to-one presenting of your services to a prospective client. She held the audience’s attention with both good information and lot’s of her usual humor. I found myself clicking notes into my iPhone as fast as I could. My next one-to-one presentation will be different.
Mahalo Pam!

Diplomacy Is Sometimes the Better Part of Valor
CBS News reported today that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has officially asked for an interview with President Barack Obama as a direct response to Mr. Obama’s call for opportunities to engage.
It’s hard to predict where “talking” might lead to at times, but not talking surely leads to nowhere.

Make That Presentation
The same is true when prospecting for new business. It’s easy to “ass-u-me” that a presentation will not go anywhere, and thus no need to make it. That attitude becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. As Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Take the shot! 

Is TOO Big a possibility?
How big can a company get before they are too big for their customers? I have been a Road Runner customer for more years than I can remember. I am constantly bombarded with other on-line options, yet have remained loyal to “The Bird.”
When I went to my computer this morning (Saturday) to send my daily positive message to thousands of people who have opted in from my web site, the e-mail got stuck in my out box. I tested sending some more e-mail only to get an “Error” message, saying that I cannot send e-mail from this computer. I went to the on-line help desk and “chatted” for about 45 minutes with a woman who guided me through through the steps to completely reconfigure my e-mail. The result was the same error message, to which she said, “Sorry you have this problem.”
I then called to talk to someone on the phone. After listening to a recording for 30 minutes, the person who finally answered checked my account and told me that I need to call a different number and gave it to me. I called that number and got a recording saying that this department was open Monday thru Friday, 9 to 5 PM; nice hours! I’m open 24/7, this just doesn’t work for me. What to do???

“It’s For the Girl Scouts”
This CNN story says, “Sharin Newman Calderon has time to sell Girl Scout cookies. Her 7-year-old daughter, however, does not.’My daughter has soccer, Hebrew school, karate,’ the 39-year-old working mother said. ‘She’s busier than I am.’So, against the subtle recommendations from the global Girl Scouts organization, Newman Calderon — and many parents like her — made a choice: She would sell most of the cookies for her daughter, who then would take the credit.”
Have you ever felt solicitated by an adult to “help” her daughter sell Girl Scout Cookies? Personally, I think that parents that do this on behalf of their children undermine the purpose of the activity and badly skew the intended competition with fellow students or peers.

Growth Excersize
A big part of the purpose of selling Girl Scout Cookies is teaching young people how sell, and EVERYONE is in sales. Girl Scouts is all about developing young people to prepare them for adulthood.
The Girl Scout Cookie website states, “The activity of selling cookies is directly related to our purpose of helping all girls realize their full potential and become strong, confident, and resourceful citizens. Girl Scouts practice life skills like goal setting, money management, and teamwork—and they have fun!
Doing the selling for her teaches wrong behavior at a young age. It teaches people to shirk responsibility and hampers her growth.
Some of the most important lessons I learned about selling and dealing with people was at 16 years old at a part time job selling milk, bread and butter at a drive in dairy.
Help your kids grow up. Let them sell their own cookies.

What’s Happening with Yours?
People spend a lot of time, effort and money creating a website. You are nobody without one these days. Everyone that creates (or pays to have created) a website or Blog hopes for three (at least) things:

1.) People will find it.
2.) They will respond to it.
3.) They will return to it.

As I write this post I am reminded of something that Spencer Johnson, author of Who Moved My Cheese and many other great books taught me while I was writing Success Made Easy. He said, “You need to write what the reader wants to read, not what the writer wants to write.” He admonished me to, “Talk to the reader, not myself.” I mention this because what I am about to write is aimed at myself as much (or more) as it is to those reading it. I am not an authority on website success, and am explaining why I use the word, “You” as compared to, “We” and “Us” in this posting.
If you have a website (or Blog) and are not getting the results you want, ask yourself some questions about it.

“Is it compelling?”
“Is it too glitzy?”
“Is it too complicated?”
“Does it say who you are?”
“Does it say what you do?”
“Does it say what the reader will get from it?”
“Could it have become stale?”
“What do you do to keep it fresh?”
“What do you do to measure its success or failure?”

I wish that I had the answers to all of those questions about my own web site as well as this Blog. I am not writing this as the guy with the answers, but know that when we ask ourselves questions we get answers. Maybe there’s a pro out there somewhere that can shed some light on this subject for us all.