CoreCharacter: August 2006 Archives

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Aug31	Laugh At My Hair, Will You John Gratton August 31, 2006 Know More: Communication, Fun, Humor, You Only Live Once "Humor not only helps make the sale – it also helps build the relationship. Laughter is mutual approval, and mutual approval is at the fulcrum point of selling. If you can make them laugh, you can make them buy." Jeffrey Gitomer We all look for reasons to smile, to laugh. As Jeffrey Gitomer often suggests, the safest humor is the kind that pokes fun at ourselves. He uses his lack of hair. Me, I’m 50 but I've been fully gray for many years. My standard joke during a presentation or in front of students used to go: "Be nice to me, I woke up this morning and found a gray hair." Which always got a laugh, because every hair is gray. One day at a local high school, however, I used that line and a kid at the back said, "I don't see how you found a gray one in with all those white ones." He earned the big laugh that day, we had a great class, and I've been using the story ever since. Posted at 8:06 AM \| Permalink
Aug31	The Common Man Thinking And Dreaming Of Success John Gratton August 31, 2006 "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure." General Colin Powell "Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success." Henry Ford "The secret of success in life is for... Continue Reading Posted at 7:09 AM \| Permalink
	Take Me Out To The Ball Game, But Let Me Watch TV While I'm There John Gratton August 31, 2006 The nicest minor league baseball stadium in the country is in my town, perfect for baseball, comfortable, intimate, close to the action. The team is good and fun to watch. Hammons Field is named for John Q. Hammons, hotel mogul... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 AM \| Permalink
	The Demands Of Life Make A Raucous Noise John Gratton August 31, 2006 From The Hidden Beauty Of Everyday Life by Kent Nerburn: Our lives are filled with … ordinary moments when the hidden beauty of life breaks into our everyday awareness like an unbidden shaft of light. It is a brush... Continue Reading Posted at 5:06 AM \| Permalink
	Is Your Attitude A Matter Of Degree? John Gratton August 31, 2006 When the temperature finally drops to 65 degrees in the autumn, our thoughts turn to denim jeans and sweaters, hoodies for watching the game in the fresh evening breeze, maybe even gloves if we're out jogging before daylight. When the temperature... Continue Reading Posted at 4:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug30	Don't Fall For The Relativity Trap John Gratton August 30, 2006 I learned to use some interesting words in college: erudite, efficacious, egress, words I like but don't use every day. The most important word I learned to use was relatively. For example, I was a photographer for the school. I... Continue Reading Posted at 8:28 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 14 John Gratton August 30, 2006 Remember in 101 Dalmatians how excited and happy Pongo and Roger where when Purdy had the puppies? The maid kept running out, shouting higher numbers. Pongo was thrilled with eight, then ten and eleven. He almost was overwhelmed with the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:05 AM \| Permalink
	When Desire And Self-Discipline Come Together John Gratton August 30, 2006 "Press on: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful individuals with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full... Continue Reading Posted at 6:02 AM \| Permalink
	What Would Jesus Buy? John Gratton August 30, 2006 From Jean Chatzky in Money, May 2006: The Rev. Billy Talen looks and sounds a lot like the evangelists on Sunday morning television. He's loud. He's passionate. He's backed by a gospel choir. [His] "reverend" credentials are debatable. Reverend Billy,... Continue Reading Posted at 5:15 AM \| Permalink
	Learn, Baby, Learn John Gratton August 30, 2006 "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:" Proverbs 1:5 My dad used to tell this story: The television was busted, so the repairman came. He looked at the... Continue Reading Posted at 4:08 AM \| Permalink
Aug29	Jonah Learned A Thing Or Two About Fear And Responsibility John Gratton August 29, 2006 In this story, Jonah was told to go to a certain place and do a certain thing. He didn't want to, so he tried to go somewhere else to do something else. Something good, no doubt, but something else. As... Continue Reading Posted at 10:54 AM \| Permalink
	The FBI Won't Send You An E-Mail Questioning Your Internet Surfing Habits John Gratton August 29, 2006 From fbi.gov: We have received reports concerning a fraudulent e-mail claiming to be from the FBI. The new e-mail hoax is similar to one described in a November 22, 2005, posting on the Internet Crime Complaint Center website. The e-mail... Continue Reading Posted at 10:18 AM \| Permalink
	Get Your Emoticons Out Of My Face :-( John Gratton August 29, 2006 From Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss: How often do you hear people complain that e-mails subtract the tone of voice; that it's hard to tell if someone is joking or not? Clicking on "Send" has its limitations... Continue Reading Posted at 9:50 AM \| Permalink
	Courts Suggesting That Crime Does, In Fact, Pay John Gratton August 29, 2006 By Marcy Gordon, Associated Press: In the years following the wave of corporate scandals that began with Enron in late 2001, prosecutors have brought a string of major financial-fraud cases. Yet the government has had setbacks recently. Former star... Continue Reading Posted at 9:14 AM \| Permalink
	A Higher Standard For Corporate And Leadership Integrity John Gratton August 29, 2006 From Fit In Stand Out by Blythe McGarvie: Integrity is honesty in action. Leadership without integrity results in dishonesty and corruption. Historically, the integrity of corporate leaders has often been questioned. The Robber Barons of the late 19 th century... Continue Reading Posted at 8:39 AM \| Permalink
Aug28	Listen To Your Mother John Gratton August 28, 2006 Mom always warned us not to ride wheelies. Do kids still do that? You ride your bike, balance on just the back tire. I never did it because I couldn't do it, but my little brother could. He was good.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:36 PM \| Permalink
	Desire Comes From Within John Gratton August 28, 2006 From On My Honor, I Will by Randy Pennington: Desire comes from within, but the self-discipline required to demonstrate your commitment must be learned. Consider estabilishing a daily plan to help you develop successful habits. The plan should include specific... Continue Reading Posted at 6:59 PM \| Permalink
	Does Anyone Else Think This Fannie Mae Deal Stinks? John Gratton August 28, 2006 Statement One: Mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae avoided criminal prosecution over its alleged multibillion-dollar accounting fraud, the latest twist in a saga of intrigue involving a politically potent company. Statement Two: Fannie Mae's political clout is legendary, fostered by its... Continue Reading Posted at 12:48 PM \| Permalink
	“Take It Off, Take It All Off” To Honor The Dead John Gratton August 28, 2006 Bad news for surviving friends and loved ones in China – no more strippers at the funerals. Apparently police are trying to stop the practice of relatives employing "performers" to draw people in. "Striptease used to be a common practice... Continue Reading Posted at 12:16 PM \| Permalink
	Promises, Promises John Gratton August 28, 2006 From Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo: With the best intentions, we extend ourselves in one area, perhaps our career, which causes us to unintentionally slight another: our family, our financial well-being or our physical well-being. If you promise... Continue Reading Posted at 11:28 AM \| Permalink
Aug26	Your Eyes Are Wide Open, Which Is Just One More Reason Why You’re Still Fat John Gratton August 26, 2006 By Liz Ward for Men's Health: Sleep deprivation decreases the odds of shedding blubber and keeping it off. Researchers found that healthy men who snoozed only four or seven hours a night for six nights in a row had higher... Continue Reading Posted at 8:02 AM \| Permalink
	How To Tell If Your Tie Is Well Made John Gratton August 26, 2006 From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine: First, hold it up by the narrow end; if it twists to one side, it was cut incorrectly and will forever hand askew. Then, scrunch the material. A great tie feels smooth and substantial and... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 AM \| Permalink
	Color Yourself Healthy With A Disease-Fighting Diet John Gratton August 26, 2006 From HealthMATTERS: Bright colors abound in the produce section of your local grocery store. These vibrant foods are more than just pleasing to the eye. Colorful plant chemicals – such as carotenoids and flavonoids – contain antioxidants that can strengthen... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 AM \| Permalink
	I'm No Fan Of The Exclamation Point! (But I'm Using Them More These Days) John Gratton August 26, 2006 From Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss: Everyone knows the exclamation mark – or exclamation point as it is known in America. It comes at the end of a sentence, is unignorable and hopelessly heavy-handed. Here's one! In humorous... Continue Reading Posted at 5:09 AM \| Permalink
	Schedule Your Shots And Your Sleep Before You Go John Gratton August 26, 2006 From 1,000 Places To See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz: Some far-flung corners of the world require a series of immunizations that can take up to several months. A last-minute weekend trip to India is hard to pull off,... Continue Reading Posted at 4:06 AM \| Permalink
Aug25	Playing Golf May Be The Best Way To Improve Your Portfolio John Gratton August 25, 2006 From The Golf Digest Companies/Nationwide Study: Priorities: Golf vs. Retirement: Golfers have saved 73 percent more for retirement than those who do not golf. 35 percent of male golfers would prefer to win the Masters than to have $1 million... Continue Reading Posted at 8:01 AM \| Permalink
	Is Your Bottled Water Any Better Than Tap? John Gratton August 25, 2006 From Healthmatters, Spring 2006: Studies have shown that bottled water is not necessarily cleaner or safer than tap water. And bottled water is not regulated by the government as strictly as tap water. Among the findings: More than 20... Continue Reading Posted at 7:04 AM \| Permalink
	Cell Phone Dating Service Scam John Gratton August 25, 2006 The FBI has been alerted to newly discovered malware. Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner’s consent. The identified malware lures victims to the website through a bogus text message sent to their... Continue Reading Posted at 6:07 AM \| Permalink
	From Soup To Nuts: Andy Warhol Is In Town John Gratton August 25, 2006 There is an Andy Warhol exhibit at our local museum, the Campbell's soup cans and part of his series called Athletes. I don't know that it is art, really, but the row of large red and white cans on the... Continue Reading Posted at 5:08 AM \| Permalink
	Jury Duty Scam John Gratton August 25, 2006 I got one of those "pass this on to everyone in your inbox" e-mails today. I usually toss them out unread, but this one managed to worm its way through. These types of alarmist messages rarely are true, and I... Continue Reading Posted at 4:04 AM \| Permalink
Aug24	Learning Is Its Own Reward (And It's More Than Simply Knowing What Button To Push When) John Gratton August 24, 2006 They use scanners now instead of ink and paper to record fingerprints, and I am amazed. The machine looks like just a layer of glass and a mirror, and I couldn't figure it out. So I asked the woman about... Continue Reading Posted at 8:10 AM \| Permalink
	Know Your Limits John Gratton August 24, 2006 From Eight Simple Ways To Reduce Stress: Sometimes a reality check can show you whether you're causing yourself unnecessary stress, either through unrealistic expectations or feeling like everything is out of your control. Things You Can't Control The age or... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 AM \| Permalink
	What Do You Want? John Gratton August 24, 2006 From Dale Carnegie, How To Win Friends And Influence People: The only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it. The world is full of people who... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Price We Pay For The Space We Occupy John Gratton August 24, 2006 Here's another 140 words I agree with from Tavis Smiley, Doing What's Right: What made John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., so special is that through their leadership they inspired all of us to believe... Continue Reading Posted at 5:09 AM \| Permalink
	Look, Buddy, Don't Call If You're Just Wasting Our Time John Gratton August 24, 2006 I often answer the phone for my boss. Because he is dedicated to his clients, he is accessible. He gets calls all the time, and some of the clients don't want to mess with talking to me. The excuses they... Continue Reading Posted at 4:06 AM \| Permalink
Aug23	Life Is Hard, But You Know, You Can Manage John Gratton August 23, 2006 "It is so easy to be halfhearted, but this only produces half the growth, half the blessings, and just half a life, really, with more bud than blossom." Neal A. Maxwell Manage your emotions. Some days are better than others.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Crooks Are Digging Up Identities Of The Deceased John Gratton August 23, 2006 By Rick VanderKnyff on MSN Money: Death makes you an even more irresistible target to identity thieves. "Criminals have known for years that assuming the identity of a deceased person buys them some time," said Diane Terry, director of the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:04 AM \| Permalink
	Speak Of Interest, Not Of Reason John Gratton August 23, 2006 From Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard’s Almanack: Would you persuade, speak of Interest, not of Reason. No man e'er was glorious, who was not laborious. Would you live with ease? Do what you ought, not what you please. Don't think... Continue Reading Posted at 6:08 AM \| Permalink
	Oh, The Places You've Been – Employers Use Search Engines To Find Your Tracks In The Dirt John Gratton August 23, 2006 From BusinessWeek: Search engines make it possible for employers to scour all manner of digital dirt to vet employees. Googling people is a way for bosses and headhunters to do continuous and stealthy background checks on employees, no disclosure required.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:04 AM \| Permalink
	To Tell Or Not To Tell - I Did A Dumb Thing John Gratton August 23, 2006 Well, I just did something stupid. I wrote tomorrow's posts at home, then decided to ride my bike to the office to queue them up for the morning. Sometimes my older computer at home makes the disks incompatible with my... Continue Reading Posted at 4:02 AM \| Permalink
Aug22	Not Investing Is Morally Wrong (I Know, Believe Me) John Gratton August 22, 2006 From Harry Domash at MSN Money: "Compounding," Albert Einstein said, "is mankind’s greatest invention because it allows for the reliable, systematic accumulation of wealth." Einstein was a smart man. But you hardly have to be a genius to make this... Continue Reading Posted at 8:51 AM \| Permalink
	Victim Of A Scam? What To Do If You've Divulged Information John Gratton August 22, 2006 From Jennifer Mulrean at MSN Money: If you think you've been scammed, you can file a complaint with the FTC and the Internet Fraud Complaint Center. But the most important thing is to notify the bank or credit card issuer... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 AM \| Permalink
	Snatching An Ice Cold Bowl Of Defeat From The Hands Of Victory John Gratton August 22, 2006 I never splurge, but sometimes allow myself a small treat following some achievement or unpleasant task. One night, buying a few groceries after a long day at work, two trips to the library for last-minute homework and four loads... Continue Reading Posted at 6:05 AM \| Permalink
	If I Had Not Read Tavis Smiley, I Could Not Disagree With Tavis Smiley John Gratton August 22, 2006 I'm reading Doing What's Right by Tavis Smiley. It is a difficult read for me because I disagree – often fervently – with what a lot of what I've read. The inside cover says that Smiley is a talk show... Continue Reading Posted at 5:02 AM \| Permalink
	We Need A Pitcher, Not A Belly Itcher John Gratton August 22, 2006 I'm watching high school fast-pitch softball, a game that is new to me. The pitching motion is, well, unique. I can think of nothing in sports to compare it to. The motion is a singular and isolated skill, fascinating, but... Continue Reading Posted at 4:06 AM \| Permalink
Aug21	Don’t Bury Your Best John Gratton August 21, 2006 From Tavis Smiley in Doing What’s Right: My grandfather used to say some of the best ideas lie in the graveyard. Too many of us go to our graves with all our energy, power, passion and talent in tow, untapped... Continue Reading Posted at 8:53 PM \| Permalink
	Philanthropy: Is It Altruism Or “The Weak Sponging Off The Strong” Or Rich People Just Showing Off? John Gratton August 21, 2006 Some say philanthropy "may encompass any altruistic activity which is intended to promote good or improve human quality of life." Others, "such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Ayn Rand, opposed philanthropy on philosophical grounds, connecting it with the idea of the... Continue Reading Posted at 8:22 PM \| Permalink
	Read For Power John Gratton August 21, 2006 There is no mistaking a real book when one meets it. It is like falling in love. Christopher Morley Properly, we should read for power. Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light... Continue Reading Posted at 12:34 PM \| Permalink
	Don't Fall For Mortgage Fraud John Gratton August 21, 2006 From MSN Real Estate: Mortgage fraud is on the rise, thanks to the tremendous value that's locked up in real estate today and to the increasing number of people who are struggling to pay their mortgages. Don't fall for... Continue Reading Posted at 11:32 AM \| Permalink
	None Shall Pass (And Other Words From John Cleese) John Gratton August 21, 2006 John Cleese is one of the funniest actors in the long history of acting, especially as Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers. Here are some quotations from Cleese that are more profound than funny: "If you want creative workers, give them... Continue Reading Posted at 11:04 AM \| Permalink
Aug19	You're Starving (Another Reason You're Still Fat) John Gratton August 19, 2006 By Liz Ward, Men's Health: Slashing too many calories, particularly protein calories, pushes the body to conserve calories rather than burn them. It also forces your body to break down muscle tissue to fuel its vital operations. But that muscle... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 PM \| Permalink
	I Want My, I Want My, I Want My Senior TV… John Gratton August 19, 2006 From Kiplinger's Retirement Report, August 2006: A new cable network called Retirement Living, with the tagline "TV Finally Grows Up," has been designed for people 62 and older. Shows planned include Amazing Seniors, which will tell stories of older Americans... Continue Reading Posted at 6:30 PM \| Permalink
	Break Out Your Ukuleles And Washboards, Big Smith Is Coming Your Way On Film John Gratton August 19, 2006 I am a long-time Big Smith fan. I've been watching them for I guess close to 10 years, and they are still favorites. They continue to increase their national popularity with vigorous and animated live performances, and they also are... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 PM \| Permalink
	Nothing Against Branson, But I'm Thinking Of A Real Vacation, An Adventure John Gratton August 19, 2006 Those who read here regularly will not be surprised that I have the Patricia Shultz calendar version of 1,000 Places To See Before You Die on my desk. I like to flip through it and read. "Oh, the places I'll... Continue Reading Posted at 5:30 PM \| Permalink
	How Much Would You Pay To Not Eat Raisins? John Gratton August 19, 2006 I paid a dollar yesterday to not eat raisins. The granola cereal I usually buy has raisins, which I eat, but reluctantly. I like raisins okay, just not in food. Yesterday, I found a brand of granola cereal that doesn't... Continue Reading Posted at 4:54 PM \| Permalink
Aug18	Integrity And Ethics Are Electives On Campus These Days John Gratton August 18, 2006 Many of my friends teach. My employer teaches. Their disciplines cover a range of subjects, but they all have one thing in common: their students cheat. Students plagiarize freely, they text message answers, they get term papers from Internet sites.... Continue Reading Posted at 9:53 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Go, Try, Now – Beat Fear Of Failure With Action John Gratton August 18, 2006 From Zig Ziglar in Steps To The Top: Success or failure can become a habit for all of us. Many people don’t succeed because they have a fear of failure. There’s no question that many people never succeed because they’re... Continue Reading Posted at 9:41 AM \| Permalink
	Be Cautious At Liquidation Sales And Make Sure You Plan For Hurricanes John Gratton August 18, 2006 From Kiplinger's Retirement Report, August 2006: Consumer Reports says if you're heading to a going-out-of-business sale, check for complaints with your local Better Business Bureau or state consumer agency. Don't settle for the first price offered, and compare competitors selling... Continue Reading Posted at 8:43 AM \| Permalink
	Modern-Day Heroes (Or Cheating In Sports, An Age-Old Tradition) John Gratton August 18, 2006 From Randy Hill and Fox Sports: What level of personal protocol would you sacrifice to be the world’s fastest human? Thanks to the predicaments of cyclist Floyd Landis and sprinter Justin Gatlin, a culture of alleged cheating may have reached... Continue Reading Posted at 8:02 AM \| Permalink
	Landlord Tricks – No Can Do John Gratton August 18, 2006 By Helen Lesel: Landlords or property managers are not allowed to take the law into their own hands. Known as "self-help" evictions, actions such as changing the locks are illegal for a landlord or their agents to do unless a... Continue Reading Posted at 7:37 AM \| Permalink
Aug17	Mow 'Em Down With Teamwork John Gratton August 17, 2006 It doesn't matter if you're watching children play softball or watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball. The best teams play together as a team, they are practiced, they know what to do with and without the ball. They cheer each other... Continue Reading Posted at 1:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	More Proof That You Can’t Buy Your Way Into Championship Baseball John Gratton August 17, 2006 In 2005, seven MLB teams had more than 90 wins. The Yankees paid the most per win at $2.2 million followed by the Red Sox ($1.3 million); the Angels ($1 million); the Braves ($960,636); the Cardinals ($921,068); the World Champion... Continue Reading Posted at 12:01 PM \| Permalink
	Mortgage Fraud Is On The Rise John Gratton August 17, 2006 Every homeowner should read this article on MSN Real Estate: If owning a home is the great American dream, then swindling people out of their prized possession is one of the great, lucrative American scams. "It's kind of become... Continue Reading Posted at 11:58 AM \| Permalink
	When Anger Rises, Think Of The Consequences (Confucius Said That) John Gratton August 17, 2006 "How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it." Marcus Aurelius Anger is far too familiar to me, and I don't handle it especially well. My personal defense mechanism against anger is disengagement, detachment,... Continue Reading Posted at 4:03 AM \| Permalink
	The Color Of Time John Gratton August 17, 2006 My daughter and I are looking at a shirt tacked to my wall. The shirt was presented last year for Father's Day. It says "Awarded Best Dad – Hands Down" and came with finger paints, so four of the girls... Continue Reading Posted at 3:09 AM \| Permalink
Aug16	Don't Turn Routine Chores Into Something Really Painful John Gratton August 16, 2006 From Jeff Wuorio in 7 Steps To Good Work Habits Away From The Office: Know the dangers of procrastination – and avoid them. Putting off necessary tasks melts discipline in any setting, but it's particularly destructive when you're away from... Continue Reading Posted at 11:31 PM \| Permalink
	Don't Use Wire Transfers John Gratton August 16, 2006 From Kiplinger's Retirement Report, August 2006: The Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers never to pay for online purchases with a wire transfer. When a consumer wires money through a money transmitter or directly to someone's bank account, the consumer... Continue Reading Posted at 11:00 PM \| Permalink
	Sometimes The Tough Decisions Must Be Made Knowing That What Is Right Is Not What Is Best For You John Gratton August 16, 2006 I just gave permission for my daughter to stay with relatives in another state for a school semester. That will make her visit a six-month trip. Man, I miss her. I will miss her more tomorrow, but the truth is... Continue Reading Posted at 10:36 PM \| Permalink
	For Those Who May Not Be Able To Tell The Difference Between Harpo Marx And Ingrid Bergman John Gratton August 16, 2006 Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World is apparently suing Robert "Buzz" Moore because Moore opened a store called Buzz’s Outdoor World, claiming infringement on the Bass Pro trademark. I don’t blame Bass Pro for protecting their brand, but what amuses me... Continue Reading Posted at 10:06 AM \| Permalink
	Preparing For Rocky Times John Gratton August 16, 2006 From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, September 2006: Recent market volatility may leave you feeling queasy, but it should also spur you to reexamine your investments – and make sure that they (and you) can withstand further turbulence. Start by revisiting... Continue Reading Posted at 8:27 AM \| Permalink
Aug15	Magazine Subscription Scams John Gratton August 15, 2006 A number of companies send fake but authentic-looking invoices to magazine subscribers. "False notices of this sort plague magazines everywhere," says Fred W. Frailey, editor of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, "and often the perpetrators simply pocket the money." Frailey says... Continue Reading Posted at 10:48 PM \| Permalink
	Credit Card Fees, Property Taxes, Do Not Call Lists And IRS Audits – Yikes John Gratton August 15, 2006 From Your Money, Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, September 2006: Don't Be LateThe average credit card late fee is $35, and over-the-limit fees top $32, on average, reports IndexCreditCards.com. Tax DeterrentBy a margin of 34 percent to 14 percent, consumers say... Continue Reading Posted at 10:03 PM \| Permalink
	A Fish Out Of Water John Gratton August 15, 2006 The two hospitals near me use helicopters for emergencies, so helicopters are flying overhead all the time. They are sleek and fast and perfectly designed for what they do, but I watched one land today. As it got close,... Continue Reading Posted at 9:35 PM \| Permalink
	Top Ten Work Habits To Avoid Late Nights, Part One (This Has Nothing To Do With David Letterman) John Gratton August 15, 2006 From MSN Human Resources: To maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life, employees need to learn to stay productive during the workday and leave their desks at a reasonable hour. Use these tips to approach each day with a... Continue Reading Posted at 9:23 AM \| Permalink
	"It May Not Be Your People, Sparky" – Some Hard Words From Jeffrey Gitomer John Gratton August 15, 2006 From Jeffrey Gitomer: If you're the sales manager, it means you have three primary responsibilities: lead your people, teach your people, and coach your people. Your people want to be led, taught, and coached. No one wants to be managed. Here... Continue Reading Posted at 8:44 AM \| Permalink
Aug14	That’s The Worst Idea I’ve Ever Heard John Gratton August 14, 2006 From Shake That Brain by Joel Saltzman: Most people have the ability to come up with a truly bad solution. But here’s the good news: If you can come up with truly terrible ideas, you’ve got the ability to create... Continue Reading Posted at 4:23 PM \| Permalink
	Refuse To Be An Integrity Victim John Gratton August 14, 2006 From Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo: As the victim of another person’s lapse of integrity, you feel violated and hurt. But you can learn from it. When this happens to me, I try to turn it into a... Continue Reading Posted at 3:39 PM \| Permalink
	Steadfast Adherence To A Strict Moral Or Ethical Code John Gratton August 14, 2006 From Fit In Stand Out by Blythe McGarvie: [I]ntegrity must be extended beyond the basic and immutable requirement of legal compliance to the concept of ethos – that is, the system of values defining both a leader’s personal character and... Continue Reading Posted at 3:04 PM \| Permalink
	Bait And Switch Scheme Catches 364 Missourians John Gratton August 14, 2006 The Springfield and Columbia dealerships for ProCycle have been fined almost $200,000 by Jay Nixon, the Missouri Attorney General. Nixon sued the dealership owners, "alleging that they misled customers by failing to disclose certain fees and charging three percent for... Continue Reading Posted at 2:34 PM \| Permalink
	It’s Not My Fault That I Have No Good Excuses John Gratton August 14, 2006 From Don’t Let Others Rent Space In Your Head by Gary Coxe: Excuses are pointless and just a waste of time. They don’t help you overcome challenges, and they don’t help you realize what you need to change. Although there... Continue Reading Posted at 2:05 PM \| Permalink
Aug12	The Da Vinci Code Didn’t Disappoint As Much As It Could Have John Gratton August 12, 2006 Okay, I saw The Da Vinci Code. Back in May I said I would wait and – if still interested – I would see it. To be honest, I had forgotten about it until it showed up at the cheap... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink
	This Is A Gala Day! John Gratton August 12, 2006 And Groucho follows that line with, "Well, a gal a day is enough for any man. I don’t think I could handle any more." The scene is from Duck Soup, the 1933 movie that featured Groucho, Harpo and Chico at... Continue Reading Posted at 2:15 PM \| Permalink
	Five Significant Inventions: What Do You Have To Say About That? John Gratton August 12, 2006 By Alex Hutchinson: 1962 – Computer Mouse: "I don't know why we call it a mouse. It started that way, and we never changed it." Doug Engelbart, Stanford Research Institute. 1969 – Automated Teller Machine: "On Sept. 2, our bank... Continue Reading Posted at 1:15 PM \| Permalink
	Hormonal Variations From Lack Of Sleep May Contribute To Weight Gain John Gratton August 12, 2006 By Alan Mozes, HealthDay News: Eve Van Cauter, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, recently found that when 12 healthy men in their 20s were instructed to sleep just four hours a night for two nights straight,... Continue Reading Posted at 1:15 PM \| Permalink
	This "Saved By The Bell Story" Is A Dead Ringer For A Tall Tale John Gratton August 12, 2006 Many years ago, apparently…. In jolly old England, a relatively small island where available land is always rare, the cemeteries began filling up. To make room to bury more people, they dug up old coffins and reused the grave. In... Continue Reading Posted at 12:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Take The Car To The Museum John Gratton August 12, 2006 From 1,000 Places To See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz: California's Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) has appeared in countless commercials and traveler's itineraries. But there are plenty of other scenic American byways that shouldn't be missed. Natchez Trace... Continue Reading Posted at 11:52 AM \| Permalink
Aug11	I Am Wrong About Many Things, Which Won’t Be News To Many Of You, But I Can Work On Them Tomorrow John Gratton August 11, 2006 From Don’t Let Others Rent Space In Your Head: Admitting that they are wrong is simply beyond some people. [The] issue comes down to the simple concept of denial. People in denial don’t want to acknowledge problems because doing so... Continue Reading Posted at 2:55 PM \| Permalink
	Is This True? Please Tell Me This Isn’t True John Gratton August 11, 2006 From The Power Of Focus: All of the results you are currently experiencing in your life are absolutely perfect for you. This includes your career, personal relationships and financial status. How could it be otherwise? The reason you are where... Continue Reading Posted at 2:13 PM \| Permalink
	Who Am I To Be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented And Fabulous? John Gratton August 11, 2006 From A Return To Love by Marianne Williamson (one of my favorite authors), also quoted by Nelson Mandela during his inaugural speech, 1994: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful... Continue Reading Posted at 4:07 AM \| Permalink
	I Played My Motivational Tapes Backwards And Became A Failure John Gratton August 11, 2006 That’s the punch line to a cartoon by Randy Glasbergen, showing a guy begging on the street, those words written on his sign. "Please help," it says. The joke is comical, but unlikely. We fail for other reasons, often simply... Continue Reading Posted at 3:07 AM \| Permalink
Aug10	Invest One Dollar A Day John Gratton August 10, 2006 By Richard Jenkins, MSN Money: It doesn't take a lot of money or time or personal sacrifice. There's no magic, no multilevel marketing and no salesman will call. In fact, it's the simplest and most-proven way to get richer, and... Continue Reading Posted at 9:46 PM \| Permalink
	I Wish My Friend Had Read This Before He Died John Gratton August 10, 2006 From LIMRA International’s Life Insurance Ownership Study: Almost three fourths of Americans agree that life insurance is the best way to protect against premature death of a primary wage earner. Forty-four percent of all U.S. households (48 million) either don’t... Continue Reading Posted at 11:08 AM \| Permalink
	It's All About The Talk (Okay, So I Think O. Henry Was Full Of Baloney) John Gratton August 10, 2006 One of O. Henry's most famous works is The Gift Of The Magi, in which a young couple supposedly in love botches their first Christmas together by selling off their most treasured possessions to buy something that matches the others... Continue Reading Posted at 9:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Light Bright: Some Of Life’s Greatest Lessons Are Just As Likely To Be Learned On A Bike As Anywhere Else John Gratton August 10, 2006 Perhaps it’s the time to think that makes riding a bike such a good time to observe and consider and evaluate. Or perhaps it’s the stark fear of traffic that stimulates the mental juices. Or perhaps it’s just the tiny... Continue Reading Posted at 9:00 AM \| Permalink
	Your IQ Impacts Your Health And Wealth John Gratton August 10, 2006 By Martha Brockenbrough: While it's true that no one yet has figured out how to beat the Grim Reaper at his game, smart people appear to be better at holding him off longer. For starters, smarter people are likely to... Continue Reading Posted at 8:44 AM \| Permalink
Aug 9	How To Avoid The Hook, Line And Sinker Of Phishing Scams John Gratton August 9, 2006 From Jennifer Mulrean at MSN Money: Crooks use official-looking e-mails and fake Web sites to get your personal data, then steal from you. Here's how to protect yourself from phishing frauds, the Net's biggest scam. The Federal Trade Commission’s No.... Continue Reading Posted at 11:20 AM \| Permalink
	I Apologize For The Egregious Typos (Which Are, Of Course, A Symptom More Than A Disease) John Gratton August 9, 2006 Well, this is embarrassing. I made a commitment to getting to bed earlier but have not kept it. My sleep habits are terrible, so I try to read a lot about it, looking for clues that will help me... Continue Reading Posted at 4:13 AM \| Permalink
	Share Your Wealth, Watch It Grow John Gratton August 9, 2006 I spoke to a group of students yesterday, all wide-eyed incoming freshmen, just starting their college careers. I told them that studying made a big difference in their ability to learn, that education would change what they think and... Continue Reading Posted at 4:05 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	You Don’t Have Integrity If You Only Have It When Someone Else Is Looking John Gratton August 9, 2006 From Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo: The expression "action speaks louder than words" is never truer than in respect to integrity. Most of us can talk a good game, but what happens when we’re alone, unobserved, and... Continue Reading Posted at 3:38 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Whether An Action Lands You In Jail Is A Poor Guide For Decision Making John Gratton August 9, 2006 From Fit In Stand Out by Blythe McGarvie: You must understand integrity in all its nuances to capture its catalytic power. Too many business people act as if integrity begins and ends with legal compliance. As long as they follow... Continue Reading Posted at 3:12 AM \| Permalink
Aug 8	We Can Work It Out John Gratton August 8, 2006 How can this possibly work out? That question is on my mind, and now, of course, so is the Beatles' song. It seems we all face it at times, something we want, something good, but there just seem to be... Continue Reading Posted at 4:03 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	And That's A Winner John Gratton August 8, 2006 "A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals." Larry Bird "My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind... Continue Reading Posted at 3:32 AM \| Permalink
	Like Operating Capital, Sleep Is A Resource That Must Be Maintained John Gratton August 8, 2006 "Going without sleep is as much a personal and public safety haard as going to work drunk in the morning." Stanley Coren From Management Mess-Ups by Mark Eppler: Managers who become sleep deprived expose themselves to a wide variety of... Continue Reading Posted at 2:17 AM \| Permalink
	Proposed Casino Relies On Apathy And Slow Wits Of Missouri Voters John Gratton August 8, 2006 It seems the way to get a law or amendment passed in Missouri is to vote on it once, have it fail, then vote on it again. I guess the reason Missouri is the Show Me State is that we... Continue Reading Posted at 1:37 AM \| Permalink
	IRS Cautions Taxpayers On New E-Mail Scam John Gratton August 8, 2006 The IRS is cautioning taxpayers to be on the lookout for a new e-mail scam that uses the Treasury Department's Electronic Federal Tax Payment System as a hook to lure individuals into disclosing their personal information. The IRS has... Continue Reading Posted at 12:48 AM \| Permalink
Aug 7	A Book About "People Who've Dared To Be Honest With Themselves" John Gratton August 7, 2006 A reader suggested What Should I Do With My Life? by Po Bronson. Here's part of the intro: I learned that people have all sorts of psychological stumbling blocks that keep them from finding themselves. Some of these are badly... Continue Reading Posted at 11:20 AM \| Permalink
	Hey, Batter Batter, Swing Batter John Gratton August 7, 2006 Having ruined my daughter's slow pitch softball swing for most of the summer, I was pleased she asked for help hitting fast pitch. She's good, has a nice swing, but she's a little afraid (my wild pitching doesn't help). I... Continue Reading Posted at 10:36 AM \| Permalink
	If Your Products Are Killing People, Giving Money To The YMCA May Not Be Enough John Gratton August 7, 2006 I've never tasted an alcoholic beverage, but I know its effects. Several relatives are alcoholics, and I've watched them waste their lives looking for whatever it is in the bottom of the bottle. I know people who have died in... Continue Reading Posted at 10:02 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Don't Mistake Hostility For Honesty John Gratton August 7, 2006 "Honesty without compassion and understanding is not honesty, but subtle hostility." Rose Franzblau It's like the man saying, "no, honey, that dress doesn't make you look fat – you really are fat." That may be true, but it's not honesty.... Continue Reading Posted at 9:37 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gossip Is A Noxious Break With Integrity (Believe Me) John Gratton August 7, 2006 From Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo: Any time anyone makes a negative comment about a person not present, that's gossip. Gossip is not just mean; it's a break with integrity that hurts us as much as the object... Continue Reading Posted at 9:01 AM \| Permalink
Aug 5	The 1980s – The Music Was Dull And TV Wasn’t Any Better John Gratton August 5, 2006 MSN is running a story about the top TV shows of the 1980s. The shows are Cosby Show, The A-Team (relax – obviously the survey team is playing a joke), The Dukes Of Hazzard (gag), Cheers, Miami Vice, Night Court,... Continue Reading Posted at 8:00 AM \| Permalink
	Still Fat? You May Lack Basic Food-Preparations Skills John Gratton August 5, 2006 From 8 Reasons You're Still Fat by Liz Ward, Men's Health: So you took wood shop instead of home ec. I understand – a man needs to master power tools to feel complete. But unless you find a way to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 AM \| Permalink
	Breast Enlargement And Birth Control: That’s Asking A Lot Of Your Cell Phone John Gratton August 5, 2006 From Hippo Eats Dwarf by Alex Boese, who claims only one is a hoax: Page 32: Japanese women can purchase a breast-enlarging ring tone for their mobile phones. Its inventor, Hideto Tomabechi, promises the ring tone will "increase the breast... Continue Reading Posted at 6:07 AM \| Permalink
	Get Rid of Your Antiperspirant John Gratton August 5, 2006 From Dr. Joseph Mercola: Most people use antiperspirant daily with good intentions, but using antiperspirant is a good way to increase your chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease, as it is one of the common sources of aluminum. The aluminum in... Continue Reading Posted at 5:01 AM \| Permalink
	Take A Bath On Vacation Or Take A Bike John Gratton August 5, 2006 From 1,000 Places To See Before You Die by Patricia Shultz: Take the waters at one of the world's classic spa destinations, whether it's the old-world elegance of Baden-Baden or a bath in one of Japan's hot springs. Carlsbad (aka... Continue Reading Posted at 4:04 AM \| Permalink
Aug 4	Wear The Old Coat And Buy The New Book John Gratton August 4, 2006 Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life. Mortimer Adler All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that... Continue Reading Posted at 9:00 AM \| Permalink
	Why Not Attempt The Absurd John Gratton August 4, 2006 From M.C. Escher, randomly: Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible. I think it's in my basement… let me go upstairs and check. By keenly confronting the enigmas that surround us, and by considering and analyzing the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:06 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Catch Them Before They Cheat (No, It's Not Like "Minority Report") John Gratton August 4, 2006 From Shake That Brain! by Joel Saltzman: Cyberspace makes cheating on term papers easier than ever. Years ago, you had to write a check, mail it off to a term paper company, then wait to get your paper. Now you... Continue Reading Posted at 6:01 AM \| Permalink
	Professional Baseball Is Getting Too Much Like The NBA John Gratton August 4, 2006 The only difference between the NBA and professional wrestling is the ball, and baseball is getting to be just as bad. Basketball, as played in the NBA, is impossible to watch because there are no rules, just 10 tall guys... Continue Reading Posted at 5:08 AM \| Permalink
	Teach Accountability Early John Gratton August 4, 2006 From Parent & Family August 2006: When we teach our children about accountability and hold them accountable for their words and deeds, we're giving them a strong foundation in life. "We're teaching kids that what you do now is affecting... Continue Reading Posted at 4:04 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 3	Positive Thinking Is Like Spray Paint On Rust – It Doesn't Last Long John Gratton August 3, 2006 I'm intrigued by this book, Don't Let Others Rent Space In Your Head by Gary Coxe. I like the title, and agree with the premise, but Coxe keeps saying things like "depending on where you are in life, positive thinking... Continue Reading Posted at 8:09 AM \| Permalink
	Integrity Is Swiftly Broken John Gratton August 3, 2006 "Even the smallest act should not be underestimated, for even tiny flakes of snow falling one atop another can blanket the tallest mountain in pure whiteness." Buddhist proverb From Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo: Integrity is fragile. If... Continue Reading Posted at 7:00 AM \| Permalink
	Hendrix, Patton And Einstein, Now There’s A Trio For You John Gratton August 3, 2006 "Wise men don't need advice. Fools don't take it." Benjamin Franklin "If a man does his best, what else is there?" General George S. Patton "I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." Thomas... Continue Reading Posted at 6:05 AM \| Permalink
	Theft Of Personal Information From Department Of Veteran Affairs Exposes Millions Of People John Gratton August 3, 2006 Continued diligence is the best way to protect yourself from identity theft. This is from Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, July 2006: Up to 26.5 million names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth were stolen in early May from the home... Continue Reading Posted at 5:06 AM \| Permalink
	Character Combined With Competence Earns Trust John Gratton August 3, 2006 From First Things First by Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill: Trustworthiness… is a function of character and competence. Character is what we are; competence is what we can do. And both are necessary to create... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 AM \| Permalink
Aug 2	Because Photoshop Has Become A Verb John Gratton August 2, 2006 Altering photographs is nothing new, and using them to deceive is nearly as old. Camera lenses, even camera placement, can be used to produce images that simply are not accurate. But the Internet and digital imaging software have made it... Continue Reading Posted at 8:03 AM \| Permalink
	Is Spending Money Now Rather Than Saving For Old Age An Ethical Question? John Gratton August 2, 2006 The July issue of Calling All Bulls reveals that we adults ages 50 and over "control 70 percent of all the wealth in the U.S." And it looks like a lot of us are going to need it, as "there... Continue Reading Posted at 7:05 AM \| Permalink
	Simply Because I Need A Laugh Today John Gratton August 2, 2006 "Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine." Lord Byron "You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it." Bill Cosby "Anyone who takes himself too seriously... Continue Reading Posted at 6:09 AM \| Permalink
	I Know None Of You Stole My Daughter’s Cell Phone, But Here’s What I Would Say To The Thief John Gratton August 2, 2006 So now you have my daughter’s cell phone. She set it down just for a minute, but you saw it and you picked it up and walked away. I hope you doing that didn’t ruin your sleep. It’s not much... Continue Reading Posted at 5:01 AM \| Permalink
	Your Average CEO Gets About As Much Respect As Your Average Car Salesman, Which These Days Is An Insult To Car Salesmen John Gratton August 2, 2006 A CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll in July 2002 that surveyed the American public about "people who can be trusted" found that only 23 percent believe that most CEOs of large corporations fit the bill. Almost three quarters, 73 percent, responded that... Continue Reading Posted at 4:02 AM \| Permalink
Aug 1	And The Winner Of The First Annual Poor Thoughts Will Not Produce Prosperity Contest Is… John Gratton August 1, 2006 I read somewhere that "personal progress is the real victory," but our First Annual Poor Thoughts Will Not Produce Prosperity Contest has an actual, definite, real-live winner. The challenge was to complete this sentence: Poor thoughts will not produce prosperity... Continue Reading Posted at 9:31 AM \| Permalink
	True Integrity Is Based On Keeping Your Agreements John Gratton August 1, 2006 From The Power Of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt: When you break an agreement once, you will probably be given a second opportunity. When you repeatedly break agreements, your stock and value in the marketplace... Continue Reading Posted at 7:04 AM \| Permalink
	That's 1.4 Pennies For Your Thought John Gratton August 1, 2006 You've heard the joke about the two guys who buy melons for $1 and sell them for $1 and wonder why they don't show a better profit. "We gotta get a bigger truck," one of them says. Which is, apparently,... Continue Reading Posted at 6:05 AM \| Permalink
	Three In Four U.S. Employees Witness Ethical And Legal Misconduct At Work John Gratton August 1, 2006 From Fit In, Stand Out by Blythe McGarvie: KPMG commissioned a survey of employee perceptions of organizational and leadership integrity and discovered the following disturbing statistics: 76 percent of employees said they had observed violations of the law or company... Continue Reading Posted at 5:01 AM \| Permalink
	Personal Progress Is The Real Victory John Gratton August 1, 2006 I watched my daughter's swimming lessons, and was pleased at how much she has improved. We have a friend the same age who is on a swim team, and she is a much better swimmer. Her mother is pleased with... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 AM \| Permalink

« July 2006 | Main | September 2006 »

Aug31	Laugh At My Hair, Will You John Gratton August 31, 2006 Know More: Communication, Fun, Humor, You Only Live Once "Humor not only helps make the sale – it also helps build the relationship. Laughter is mutual approval, and mutual approval is at the fulcrum point of selling. If you can make them laugh, you can make them buy." Jeffrey Gitomer We all look for reasons to smile, to laugh. As Jeffrey Gitomer often suggests, the safest humor is the kind that pokes fun at ourselves. He uses his lack of hair. Me, I’m 50 but I've been fully gray for many years. My standard joke during a presentation or in front of students used to go: "Be nice to me, I woke up this morning and found a gray hair." Which always got a laugh, because every hair is gray. One day at a local high school, however, I used that line and a kid at the back said, "I don't see how you found a gray one in with all those white ones." He earned the big laugh that day, we had a great class, and I've been using the story ever since. Posted at 8:06 AM \| Permalink
Aug31	The Common Man Thinking And Dreaming Of Success John Gratton August 31, 2006 "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure." General Colin Powell "Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success." Henry Ford "The secret of success in life is for... Continue Reading Posted at 7:09 AM \| Permalink
	Take Me Out To The Ball Game, But Let Me Watch TV While I'm There John Gratton August 31, 2006 The nicest minor league baseball stadium in the country is in my town, perfect for baseball, comfortable, intimate, close to the action. The team is good and fun to watch. Hammons Field is named for John Q. Hammons, hotel mogul... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 AM \| Permalink
	The Demands Of Life Make A Raucous Noise John Gratton August 31, 2006 From The Hidden Beauty Of Everyday Life by Kent Nerburn: Our lives are filled with … ordinary moments when the hidden beauty of life breaks into our everyday awareness like an unbidden shaft of light. It is a brush... Continue Reading Posted at 5:06 AM \| Permalink
	Is Your Attitude A Matter Of Degree? John Gratton August 31, 2006 When the temperature finally drops to 65 degrees in the autumn, our thoughts turn to denim jeans and sweaters, hoodies for watching the game in the fresh evening breeze, maybe even gloves if we're out jogging before daylight. When the temperature... Continue Reading Posted at 4:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug30	Don't Fall For The Relativity Trap John Gratton August 30, 2006 I learned to use some interesting words in college: erudite, efficacious, egress, words I like but don't use every day. The most important word I learned to use was relatively. For example, I was a photographer for the school. I... Continue Reading Posted at 8:28 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 14 John Gratton August 30, 2006 Remember in 101 Dalmatians how excited and happy Pongo and Roger where when Purdy had the puppies? The maid kept running out, shouting higher numbers. Pongo was thrilled with eight, then ten and eleven. He almost was overwhelmed with the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:05 AM \| Permalink
	When Desire And Self-Discipline Come Together John Gratton August 30, 2006 "Press on: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful individuals with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full... Continue Reading Posted at 6:02 AM \| Permalink
	What Would Jesus Buy? John Gratton August 30, 2006 From Jean Chatzky in Money, May 2006: The Rev. Billy Talen looks and sounds a lot like the evangelists on Sunday morning television. He's loud. He's passionate. He's backed by a gospel choir. [His] "reverend" credentials are debatable. Reverend Billy,... Continue Reading Posted at 5:15 AM \| Permalink
	Learn, Baby, Learn John Gratton August 30, 2006 "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:" Proverbs 1:5 My dad used to tell this story: The television was busted, so the repairman came. He looked at the... Continue Reading Posted at 4:08 AM \| Permalink
Aug29	Jonah Learned A Thing Or Two About Fear And Responsibility John Gratton August 29, 2006 In this story, Jonah was told to go to a certain place and do a certain thing. He didn't want to, so he tried to go somewhere else to do something else. Something good, no doubt, but something else. As... Continue Reading Posted at 10:54 AM \| Permalink
	The FBI Won't Send You An E-Mail Questioning Your Internet Surfing Habits John Gratton August 29, 2006 From fbi.gov: We have received reports concerning a fraudulent e-mail claiming to be from the FBI. The new e-mail hoax is similar to one described in a November 22, 2005, posting on the Internet Crime Complaint Center website. The e-mail... Continue Reading Posted at 10:18 AM \| Permalink
	Get Your Emoticons Out Of My Face :-( John Gratton August 29, 2006 From Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss: How often do you hear people complain that e-mails subtract the tone of voice; that it's hard to tell if someone is joking or not? Clicking on "Send" has its limitations... Continue Reading Posted at 9:50 AM \| Permalink
	Courts Suggesting That Crime Does, In Fact, Pay John Gratton August 29, 2006 By Marcy Gordon, Associated Press: In the years following the wave of corporate scandals that began with Enron in late 2001, prosecutors have brought a string of major financial-fraud cases. Yet the government has had setbacks recently. Former star... Continue Reading Posted at 9:14 AM \| Permalink
	A Higher Standard For Corporate And Leadership Integrity John Gratton August 29, 2006 From Fit In Stand Out by Blythe McGarvie: Integrity is honesty in action. Leadership without integrity results in dishonesty and corruption. Historically, the integrity of corporate leaders has often been questioned. The Robber Barons of the late 19 th century... Continue Reading Posted at 8:39 AM \| Permalink
Aug28	Listen To Your Mother John Gratton August 28, 2006 Mom always warned us not to ride wheelies. Do kids still do that? You ride your bike, balance on just the back tire. I never did it because I couldn't do it, but my little brother could. He was good.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:36 PM \| Permalink
	Desire Comes From Within John Gratton August 28, 2006 From On My Honor, I Will by Randy Pennington: Desire comes from within, but the self-discipline required to demonstrate your commitment must be learned. Consider estabilishing a daily plan to help you develop successful habits. The plan should include specific... Continue Reading Posted at 6:59 PM \| Permalink
	Does Anyone Else Think This Fannie Mae Deal Stinks? John Gratton August 28, 2006 Statement One: Mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae avoided criminal prosecution over its alleged multibillion-dollar accounting fraud, the latest twist in a saga of intrigue involving a politically potent company. Statement Two: Fannie Mae's political clout is legendary, fostered by its... Continue Reading Posted at 12:48 PM \| Permalink
	“Take It Off, Take It All Off” To Honor The Dead John Gratton August 28, 2006 Bad news for surviving friends and loved ones in China – no more strippers at the funerals. Apparently police are trying to stop the practice of relatives employing "performers" to draw people in. "Striptease used to be a common practice... Continue Reading Posted at 12:16 PM \| Permalink
	Promises, Promises John Gratton August 28, 2006 From Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo: With the best intentions, we extend ourselves in one area, perhaps our career, which causes us to unintentionally slight another: our family, our financial well-being or our physical well-being. If you promise... Continue Reading Posted at 11:28 AM \| Permalink
Aug26	Your Eyes Are Wide Open, Which Is Just One More Reason Why You’re Still Fat John Gratton August 26, 2006 By Liz Ward for Men's Health: Sleep deprivation decreases the odds of shedding blubber and keeping it off. Researchers found that healthy men who snoozed only four or seven hours a night for six nights in a row had higher... Continue Reading Posted at 8:02 AM \| Permalink
	How To Tell If Your Tie Is Well Made John Gratton August 26, 2006 From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine: First, hold it up by the narrow end; if it twists to one side, it was cut incorrectly and will forever hand askew. Then, scrunch the material. A great tie feels smooth and substantial and... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 AM \| Permalink
	Color Yourself Healthy With A Disease-Fighting Diet John Gratton August 26, 2006 From HealthMATTERS: Bright colors abound in the produce section of your local grocery store. These vibrant foods are more than just pleasing to the eye. Colorful plant chemicals – such as carotenoids and flavonoids – contain antioxidants that can strengthen... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 AM \| Permalink
	I'm No Fan Of The Exclamation Point! (But I'm Using Them More These Days) John Gratton August 26, 2006 From Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss: Everyone knows the exclamation mark – or exclamation point as it is known in America. It comes at the end of a sentence, is unignorable and hopelessly heavy-handed. Here's one! In humorous... Continue Reading Posted at 5:09 AM \| Permalink
	Schedule Your Shots And Your Sleep Before You Go John Gratton August 26, 2006 From 1,000 Places To See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz: Some far-flung corners of the world require a series of immunizations that can take up to several months. A last-minute weekend trip to India is hard to pull off,... Continue Reading Posted at 4:06 AM \| Permalink
Aug25	Playing Golf May Be The Best Way To Improve Your Portfolio John Gratton August 25, 2006 From The Golf Digest Companies/Nationwide Study: Priorities: Golf vs. Retirement: Golfers have saved 73 percent more for retirement than those who do not golf. 35 percent of male golfers would prefer to win the Masters than to have $1 million... Continue Reading Posted at 8:01 AM \| Permalink
	Is Your Bottled Water Any Better Than Tap? John Gratton August 25, 2006 From Healthmatters, Spring 2006: Studies have shown that bottled water is not necessarily cleaner or safer than tap water. And bottled water is not regulated by the government as strictly as tap water. Among the findings: More than 20... Continue Reading Posted at 7:04 AM \| Permalink
	Cell Phone Dating Service Scam John Gratton August 25, 2006 The FBI has been alerted to newly discovered malware. Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner’s consent. The identified malware lures victims to the website through a bogus text message sent to their... Continue Reading Posted at 6:07 AM \| Permalink
	From Soup To Nuts: Andy Warhol Is In Town John Gratton August 25, 2006 There is an Andy Warhol exhibit at our local museum, the Campbell's soup cans and part of his series called Athletes. I don't know that it is art, really, but the row of large red and white cans on the... Continue Reading Posted at 5:08 AM \| Permalink
	Jury Duty Scam John Gratton August 25, 2006 I got one of those "pass this on to everyone in your inbox" e-mails today. I usually toss them out unread, but this one managed to worm its way through. These types of alarmist messages rarely are true, and I... Continue Reading Posted at 4:04 AM \| Permalink
Aug24	Learning Is Its Own Reward (And It's More Than Simply Knowing What Button To Push When) John Gratton August 24, 2006 They use scanners now instead of ink and paper to record fingerprints, and I am amazed. The machine looks like just a layer of glass and a mirror, and I couldn't figure it out. So I asked the woman about... Continue Reading Posted at 8:10 AM \| Permalink
	Know Your Limits John Gratton August 24, 2006 From Eight Simple Ways To Reduce Stress: Sometimes a reality check can show you whether you're causing yourself unnecessary stress, either through unrealistic expectations or feeling like everything is out of your control. Things You Can't Control The age or... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 AM \| Permalink
	What Do You Want? John Gratton August 24, 2006 From Dale Carnegie, How To Win Friends And Influence People: The only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it. The world is full of people who... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Price We Pay For The Space We Occupy John Gratton August 24, 2006 Here's another 140 words I agree with from Tavis Smiley, Doing What's Right: What made John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., so special is that through their leadership they inspired all of us to believe... Continue Reading Posted at 5:09 AM \| Permalink
	Look, Buddy, Don't Call If You're Just Wasting Our Time John Gratton August 24, 2006 I often answer the phone for my boss. Because he is dedicated to his clients, he is accessible. He gets calls all the time, and some of the clients don't want to mess with talking to me. The excuses they... Continue Reading Posted at 4:06 AM \| Permalink
Aug23	Life Is Hard, But You Know, You Can Manage John Gratton August 23, 2006 "It is so easy to be halfhearted, but this only produces half the growth, half the blessings, and just half a life, really, with more bud than blossom." Neal A. Maxwell Manage your emotions. Some days are better than others.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Crooks Are Digging Up Identities Of The Deceased John Gratton August 23, 2006 By Rick VanderKnyff on MSN Money: Death makes you an even more irresistible target to identity thieves. "Criminals have known for years that assuming the identity of a deceased person buys them some time," said Diane Terry, director of the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:04 AM \| Permalink
	Speak Of Interest, Not Of Reason John Gratton August 23, 2006 From Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard’s Almanack: Would you persuade, speak of Interest, not of Reason. No man e'er was glorious, who was not laborious. Would you live with ease? Do what you ought, not what you please. Don't think... Continue Reading Posted at 6:08 AM \| Permalink
	Oh, The Places You've Been – Employers Use Search Engines To Find Your Tracks In The Dirt John Gratton August 23, 2006 From BusinessWeek: Search engines make it possible for employers to scour all manner of digital dirt to vet employees. Googling people is a way for bosses and headhunters to do continuous and stealthy background checks on employees, no disclosure required.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:04 AM \| Permalink
	To Tell Or Not To Tell - I Did A Dumb Thing John Gratton August 23, 2006 Well, I just did something stupid. I wrote tomorrow's posts at home, then decided to ride my bike to the office to queue them up for the morning. Sometimes my older computer at home makes the disks incompatible with my... Continue Reading Posted at 4:02 AM \| Permalink
Aug22	Not Investing Is Morally Wrong (I Know, Believe Me) John Gratton August 22, 2006 From Harry Domash at MSN Money: "Compounding," Albert Einstein said, "is mankind’s greatest invention because it allows for the reliable, systematic accumulation of wealth." Einstein was a smart man. But you hardly have to be a genius to make this... Continue Reading Posted at 8:51 AM \| Permalink
	Victim Of A Scam? What To Do If You've Divulged Information John Gratton August 22, 2006 From Jennifer Mulrean at MSN Money: If you think you've been scammed, you can file a complaint with the FTC and the Internet Fraud Complaint Center. But the most important thing is to notify the bank or credit card issuer... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 AM \| Permalink
	Snatching An Ice Cold Bowl Of Defeat From The Hands Of Victory John Gratton August 22, 2006 I never splurge, but sometimes allow myself a small treat following some achievement or unpleasant task. One night, buying a few groceries after a long day at work, two trips to the library for last-minute homework and four loads... Continue Reading Posted at 6:05 AM \| Permalink
	If I Had Not Read Tavis Smiley, I Could Not Disagree With Tavis Smiley John Gratton August 22, 2006 I'm reading Doing What's Right by Tavis Smiley. It is a difficult read for me because I disagree – often fervently – with what a lot of what I've read. The inside cover says that Smiley is a talk show... Continue Reading Posted at 5:02 AM \| Permalink
	We Need A Pitcher, Not A Belly Itcher John Gratton August 22, 2006 I'm watching high school fast-pitch softball, a game that is new to me. The pitching motion is, well, unique. I can think of nothing in sports to compare it to. The motion is a singular and isolated skill, fascinating, but... Continue Reading Posted at 4:06 AM \| Permalink
Aug21	Don’t Bury Your Best John Gratton August 21, 2006 From Tavis Smiley in Doing What’s Right: My grandfather used to say some of the best ideas lie in the graveyard. Too many of us go to our graves with all our energy, power, passion and talent in tow, untapped... Continue Reading Posted at 8:53 PM \| Permalink
	Philanthropy: Is It Altruism Or “The Weak Sponging Off The Strong” Or Rich People Just Showing Off? John Gratton August 21, 2006 Some say philanthropy "may encompass any altruistic activity which is intended to promote good or improve human quality of life." Others, "such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Ayn Rand, opposed philanthropy on philosophical grounds, connecting it with the idea of the... Continue Reading Posted at 8:22 PM \| Permalink
	Read For Power John Gratton August 21, 2006 There is no mistaking a real book when one meets it. It is like falling in love. Christopher Morley Properly, we should read for power. Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light... Continue Reading Posted at 12:34 PM \| Permalink
	Don't Fall For Mortgage Fraud John Gratton August 21, 2006 From MSN Real Estate: Mortgage fraud is on the rise, thanks to the tremendous value that's locked up in real estate today and to the increasing number of people who are struggling to pay their mortgages. Don't fall for... Continue Reading Posted at 11:32 AM \| Permalink
	None Shall Pass (And Other Words From John Cleese) John Gratton August 21, 2006 John Cleese is one of the funniest actors in the long history of acting, especially as Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers. Here are some quotations from Cleese that are more profound than funny: "If you want creative workers, give them... Continue Reading Posted at 11:04 AM \| Permalink
Aug19	You're Starving (Another Reason You're Still Fat) John Gratton August 19, 2006 By Liz Ward, Men's Health: Slashing too many calories, particularly protein calories, pushes the body to conserve calories rather than burn them. It also forces your body to break down muscle tissue to fuel its vital operations. But that muscle... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 PM \| Permalink
	I Want My, I Want My, I Want My Senior TV… John Gratton August 19, 2006 From Kiplinger's Retirement Report, August 2006: A new cable network called Retirement Living, with the tagline "TV Finally Grows Up," has been designed for people 62 and older. Shows planned include Amazing Seniors, which will tell stories of older Americans... Continue Reading Posted at 6:30 PM \| Permalink
	Break Out Your Ukuleles And Washboards, Big Smith Is Coming Your Way On Film John Gratton August 19, 2006 I am a long-time Big Smith fan. I've been watching them for I guess close to 10 years, and they are still favorites. They continue to increase their national popularity with vigorous and animated live performances, and they also are... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 PM \| Permalink
	Nothing Against Branson, But I'm Thinking Of A Real Vacation, An Adventure John Gratton August 19, 2006 Those who read here regularly will not be surprised that I have the Patricia Shultz calendar version of 1,000 Places To See Before You Die on my desk. I like to flip through it and read. "Oh, the places I'll... Continue Reading Posted at 5:30 PM \| Permalink
	How Much Would You Pay To Not Eat Raisins? John Gratton August 19, 2006 I paid a dollar yesterday to not eat raisins. The granola cereal I usually buy has raisins, which I eat, but reluctantly. I like raisins okay, just not in food. Yesterday, I found a brand of granola cereal that doesn't... Continue Reading Posted at 4:54 PM \| Permalink
Aug18	Integrity And Ethics Are Electives On Campus These Days John Gratton August 18, 2006 Many of my friends teach. My employer teaches. Their disciplines cover a range of subjects, but they all have one thing in common: their students cheat. Students plagiarize freely, they text message answers, they get term papers from Internet sites.... Continue Reading Posted at 9:53 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Go, Try, Now – Beat Fear Of Failure With Action John Gratton August 18, 2006 From Zig Ziglar in Steps To The Top: Success or failure can become a habit for all of us. Many people don’t succeed because they have a fear of failure. There’s no question that many people never succeed because they’re... Continue Reading Posted at 9:41 AM \| Permalink
	Be Cautious At Liquidation Sales And Make Sure You Plan For Hurricanes John Gratton August 18, 2006 From Kiplinger's Retirement Report, August 2006: Consumer Reports says if you're heading to a going-out-of-business sale, check for complaints with your local Better Business Bureau or state consumer agency. Don't settle for the first price offered, and compare competitors selling... Continue Reading Posted at 8:43 AM \| Permalink
	Modern-Day Heroes (Or Cheating In Sports, An Age-Old Tradition) John Gratton August 18, 2006 From Randy Hill and Fox Sports: What level of personal protocol would you sacrifice to be the world’s fastest human? Thanks to the predicaments of cyclist Floyd Landis and sprinter Justin Gatlin, a culture of alleged cheating may have reached... Continue Reading Posted at 8:02 AM \| Permalink
	Landlord Tricks – No Can Do John Gratton August 18, 2006 By Helen Lesel: Landlords or property managers are not allowed to take the law into their own hands. Known as "self-help" evictions, actions such as changing the locks are illegal for a landlord or their agents to do unless a... Continue Reading Posted at 7:37 AM \| Permalink
Aug17	Mow 'Em Down With Teamwork John Gratton August 17, 2006 It doesn't matter if you're watching children play softball or watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball. The best teams play together as a team, they are practiced, they know what to do with and without the ball. They cheer each other... Continue Reading Posted at 1:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	More Proof That You Can’t Buy Your Way Into Championship Baseball John Gratton August 17, 2006 In 2005, seven MLB teams had more than 90 wins. The Yankees paid the most per win at $2.2 million followed by the Red Sox ($1.3 million); the Angels ($1 million); the Braves ($960,636); the Cardinals ($921,068); the World Champion... Continue Reading Posted at 12:01 PM \| Permalink
	Mortgage Fraud Is On The Rise John Gratton August 17, 2006 Every homeowner should read this article on MSN Real Estate: If owning a home is the great American dream, then swindling people out of their prized possession is one of the great, lucrative American scams. "It's kind of become... Continue Reading Posted at 11:58 AM \| Permalink
	When Anger Rises, Think Of The Consequences (Confucius Said That) John Gratton August 17, 2006 "How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it." Marcus Aurelius Anger is far too familiar to me, and I don't handle it especially well. My personal defense mechanism against anger is disengagement, detachment,... Continue Reading Posted at 4:03 AM \| Permalink
	The Color Of Time John Gratton August 17, 2006 My daughter and I are looking at a shirt tacked to my wall. The shirt was presented last year for Father's Day. It says "Awarded Best Dad – Hands Down" and came with finger paints, so four of the girls... Continue Reading Posted at 3:09 AM \| Permalink
Aug16	Don't Turn Routine Chores Into Something Really Painful John Gratton August 16, 2006 From Jeff Wuorio in 7 Steps To Good Work Habits Away From The Office: Know the dangers of procrastination – and avoid them. Putting off necessary tasks melts discipline in any setting, but it's particularly destructive when you're away from... Continue Reading Posted at 11:31 PM \| Permalink
	Don't Use Wire Transfers John Gratton August 16, 2006 From Kiplinger's Retirement Report, August 2006: The Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers never to pay for online purchases with a wire transfer. When a consumer wires money through a money transmitter or directly to someone's bank account, the consumer... Continue Reading Posted at 11:00 PM \| Permalink
	Sometimes The Tough Decisions Must Be Made Knowing That What Is Right Is Not What Is Best For You John Gratton August 16, 2006 I just gave permission for my daughter to stay with relatives in another state for a school semester. That will make her visit a six-month trip. Man, I miss her. I will miss her more tomorrow, but the truth is... Continue Reading Posted at 10:36 PM \| Permalink
	For Those Who May Not Be Able To Tell The Difference Between Harpo Marx And Ingrid Bergman John Gratton August 16, 2006 Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World is apparently suing Robert "Buzz" Moore because Moore opened a store called Buzz’s Outdoor World, claiming infringement on the Bass Pro trademark. I don’t blame Bass Pro for protecting their brand, but what amuses me... Continue Reading Posted at 10:06 AM \| Permalink
	Preparing For Rocky Times John Gratton August 16, 2006 From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, September 2006: Recent market volatility may leave you feeling queasy, but it should also spur you to reexamine your investments – and make sure that they (and you) can withstand further turbulence. Start by revisiting... Continue Reading Posted at 8:27 AM \| Permalink
Aug15	Magazine Subscription Scams John Gratton August 15, 2006 A number of companies send fake but authentic-looking invoices to magazine subscribers. "False notices of this sort plague magazines everywhere," says Fred W. Frailey, editor of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, "and often the perpetrators simply pocket the money." Frailey says... Continue Reading Posted at 10:48 PM \| Permalink
	Credit Card Fees, Property Taxes, Do Not Call Lists And IRS Audits – Yikes John Gratton August 15, 2006 From Your Money, Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, September 2006: Don't Be LateThe average credit card late fee is $35, and over-the-limit fees top $32, on average, reports IndexCreditCards.com. Tax DeterrentBy a margin of 34 percent to 14 percent, consumers say... Continue Reading Posted at 10:03 PM \| Permalink
	A Fish Out Of Water John Gratton August 15, 2006 The two hospitals near me use helicopters for emergencies, so helicopters are flying overhead all the time. They are sleek and fast and perfectly designed for what they do, but I watched one land today. As it got close,... Continue Reading Posted at 9:35 PM \| Permalink
	Top Ten Work Habits To Avoid Late Nights, Part One (This Has Nothing To Do With David Letterman) John Gratton August 15, 2006 From MSN Human Resources: To maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life, employees need to learn to stay productive during the workday and leave their desks at a reasonable hour. Use these tips to approach each day with a... Continue Reading Posted at 9:23 AM \| Permalink
	"It May Not Be Your People, Sparky" – Some Hard Words From Jeffrey Gitomer John Gratton August 15, 2006 From Jeffrey Gitomer: If you're the sales manager, it means you have three primary responsibilities: lead your people, teach your people, and coach your people. Your people want to be led, taught, and coached. No one wants to be managed. Here... Continue Reading Posted at 8:44 AM \| Permalink
Aug14	That’s The Worst Idea I’ve Ever Heard John Gratton August 14, 2006 From Shake That Brain by Joel Saltzman: Most people have the ability to come up with a truly bad solution. But here’s the good news: If you can come up with truly terrible ideas, you’ve got the ability to create... Continue Reading Posted at 4:23 PM \| Permalink
	Refuse To Be An Integrity Victim John Gratton August 14, 2006 From Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo: As the victim of another person’s lapse of integrity, you feel violated and hurt. But you can learn from it. When this happens to me, I try to turn it into a... Continue Reading Posted at 3:39 PM \| Permalink
	Steadfast Adherence To A Strict Moral Or Ethical Code John Gratton August 14, 2006 From Fit In Stand Out by Blythe McGarvie: [I]ntegrity must be extended beyond the basic and immutable requirement of legal compliance to the concept of ethos – that is, the system of values defining both a leader’s personal character and... Continue Reading Posted at 3:04 PM \| Permalink
	Bait And Switch Scheme Catches 364 Missourians John Gratton August 14, 2006 The Springfield and Columbia dealerships for ProCycle have been fined almost $200,000 by Jay Nixon, the Missouri Attorney General. Nixon sued the dealership owners, "alleging that they misled customers by failing to disclose certain fees and charging three percent for... Continue Reading Posted at 2:34 PM \| Permalink
	It’s Not My Fault That I Have No Good Excuses John Gratton August 14, 2006 From Don’t Let Others Rent Space In Your Head by Gary Coxe: Excuses are pointless and just a waste of time. They don’t help you overcome challenges, and they don’t help you realize what you need to change. Although there... Continue Reading Posted at 2:05 PM \| Permalink
Aug12	The Da Vinci Code Didn’t Disappoint As Much As It Could Have John Gratton August 12, 2006 Okay, I saw The Da Vinci Code. Back in May I said I would wait and – if still interested – I would see it. To be honest, I had forgotten about it until it showed up at the cheap... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink
	This Is A Gala Day! John Gratton August 12, 2006 And Groucho follows that line with, "Well, a gal a day is enough for any man. I don’t think I could handle any more." The scene is from Duck Soup, the 1933 movie that featured Groucho, Harpo and Chico at... Continue Reading Posted at 2:15 PM \| Permalink
	Five Significant Inventions: What Do You Have To Say About That? John Gratton August 12, 2006 By Alex Hutchinson: 1962 – Computer Mouse: "I don't know why we call it a mouse. It started that way, and we never changed it." Doug Engelbart, Stanford Research Institute. 1969 – Automated Teller Machine: "On Sept. 2, our bank... Continue Reading Posted at 1:15 PM \| Permalink
	Hormonal Variations From Lack Of Sleep May Contribute To Weight Gain John Gratton August 12, 2006 By Alan Mozes, HealthDay News: Eve Van Cauter, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, recently found that when 12 healthy men in their 20s were instructed to sleep just four hours a night for two nights straight,... Continue Reading Posted at 1:15 PM \| Permalink
	This "Saved By The Bell Story" Is A Dead Ringer For A Tall Tale John Gratton August 12, 2006 Many years ago, apparently…. In jolly old England, a relatively small island where available land is always rare, the cemeteries began filling up. To make room to bury more people, they dug up old coffins and reused the grave. In... Continue Reading Posted at 12:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Take The Car To The Museum John Gratton August 12, 2006 From 1,000 Places To See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz: California's Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) has appeared in countless commercials and traveler's itineraries. But there are plenty of other scenic American byways that shouldn't be missed. Natchez Trace... Continue Reading Posted at 11:52 AM \| Permalink
Aug11	I Am Wrong About Many Things, Which Won’t Be News To Many Of You, But I Can Work On Them Tomorrow John Gratton August 11, 2006 From Don’t Let Others Rent Space In Your Head: Admitting that they are wrong is simply beyond some people. [The] issue comes down to the simple concept of denial. People in denial don’t want to acknowledge problems because doing so... Continue Reading Posted at 2:55 PM \| Permalink
	Is This True? Please Tell Me This Isn’t True John Gratton August 11, 2006 From The Power Of Focus: All of the results you are currently experiencing in your life are absolutely perfect for you. This includes your career, personal relationships and financial status. How could it be otherwise? The reason you are where... Continue Reading Posted at 2:13 PM \| Permalink
	Who Am I To Be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented And Fabulous? John Gratton August 11, 2006 From A Return To Love by Marianne Williamson (one of my favorite authors), also quoted by Nelson Mandela during his inaugural speech, 1994: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful... Continue Reading Posted at 4:07 AM \| Permalink
	I Played My Motivational Tapes Backwards And Became A Failure John Gratton August 11, 2006 That’s the punch line to a cartoon by Randy Glasbergen, showing a guy begging on the street, those words written on his sign. "Please help," it says. The joke is comical, but unlikely. We fail for other reasons, often simply... Continue Reading Posted at 3:07 AM \| Permalink
Aug10	Invest One Dollar A Day John Gratton August 10, 2006 By Richard Jenkins, MSN Money: It doesn't take a lot of money or time or personal sacrifice. There's no magic, no multilevel marketing and no salesman will call. In fact, it's the simplest and most-proven way to get richer, and... Continue Reading Posted at 9:46 PM \| Permalink
	I Wish My Friend Had Read This Before He Died John Gratton August 10, 2006 From LIMRA International’s Life Insurance Ownership Study: Almost three fourths of Americans agree that life insurance is the best way to protect against premature death of a primary wage earner. Forty-four percent of all U.S. households (48 million) either don’t... Continue Reading Posted at 11:08 AM \| Permalink
	It's All About The Talk (Okay, So I Think O. Henry Was Full Of Baloney) John Gratton August 10, 2006 One of O. Henry's most famous works is The Gift Of The Magi, in which a young couple supposedly in love botches their first Christmas together by selling off their most treasured possessions to buy something that matches the others... Continue Reading Posted at 9:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Light Bright: Some Of Life’s Greatest Lessons Are Just As Likely To Be Learned On A Bike As Anywhere Else John Gratton August 10, 2006 Perhaps it’s the time to think that makes riding a bike such a good time to observe and consider and evaluate. Or perhaps it’s the stark fear of traffic that stimulates the mental juices. Or perhaps it’s just the tiny... Continue Reading Posted at 9:00 AM \| Permalink
	Your IQ Impacts Your Health And Wealth John Gratton August 10, 2006 By Martha Brockenbrough: While it's true that no one yet has figured out how to beat the Grim Reaper at his game, smart people appear to be better at holding him off longer. For starters, smarter people are likely to... Continue Reading Posted at 8:44 AM \| Permalink
Aug 9	How To Avoid The Hook, Line And Sinker Of Phishing Scams John Gratton August 9, 2006 From Jennifer Mulrean at MSN Money: Crooks use official-looking e-mails and fake Web sites to get your personal data, then steal from you. Here's how to protect yourself from phishing frauds, the Net's biggest scam. The Federal Trade Commission’s No.... Continue Reading Posted at 11:20 AM \| Permalink
	I Apologize For The Egregious Typos (Which Are, Of Course, A Symptom More Than A Disease) John Gratton August 9, 2006 Well, this is embarrassing. I made a commitment to getting to bed earlier but have not kept it. My sleep habits are terrible, so I try to read a lot about it, looking for clues that will help me... Continue Reading Posted at 4:13 AM \| Permalink
	Share Your Wealth, Watch It Grow John Gratton August 9, 2006 I spoke to a group of students yesterday, all wide-eyed incoming freshmen, just starting their college careers. I told them that studying made a big difference in their ability to learn, that education would change what they think and... Continue Reading Posted at 4:05 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	You Don’t Have Integrity If You Only Have It When Someone Else Is Looking John Gratton August 9, 2006 From Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo: The expression "action speaks louder than words" is never truer than in respect to integrity. Most of us can talk a good game, but what happens when we’re alone, unobserved, and... Continue Reading Posted at 3:38 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Whether An Action Lands You In Jail Is A Poor Guide For Decision Making John Gratton August 9, 2006 From Fit In Stand Out by Blythe McGarvie: You must understand integrity in all its nuances to capture its catalytic power. Too many business people act as if integrity begins and ends with legal compliance. As long as they follow... Continue Reading Posted at 3:12 AM \| Permalink
Aug 8	We Can Work It Out John Gratton August 8, 2006 How can this possibly work out? That question is on my mind, and now, of course, so is the Beatles' song. It seems we all face it at times, something we want, something good, but there just seem to be... Continue Reading Posted at 4:03 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	And That's A Winner John Gratton August 8, 2006 "A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals." Larry Bird "My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind... Continue Reading Posted at 3:32 AM \| Permalink
	Like Operating Capital, Sleep Is A Resource That Must Be Maintained John Gratton August 8, 2006 "Going without sleep is as much a personal and public safety haard as going to work drunk in the morning." Stanley Coren From Management Mess-Ups by Mark Eppler: Managers who become sleep deprived expose themselves to a wide variety of... Continue Reading Posted at 2:17 AM \| Permalink
	Proposed Casino Relies On Apathy And Slow Wits Of Missouri Voters John Gratton August 8, 2006 It seems the way to get a law or amendment passed in Missouri is to vote on it once, have it fail, then vote on it again. I guess the reason Missouri is the Show Me State is that we... Continue Reading Posted at 1:37 AM \| Permalink
	IRS Cautions Taxpayers On New E-Mail Scam John Gratton August 8, 2006 The IRS is cautioning taxpayers to be on the lookout for a new e-mail scam that uses the Treasury Department's Electronic Federal Tax Payment System as a hook to lure individuals into disclosing their personal information. The IRS has... Continue Reading Posted at 12:48 AM \| Permalink
Aug 7	A Book About "People Who've Dared To Be Honest With Themselves" John Gratton August 7, 2006 A reader suggested What Should I Do With My Life? by Po Bronson. Here's part of the intro: I learned that people have all sorts of psychological stumbling blocks that keep them from finding themselves. Some of these are badly... Continue Reading Posted at 11:20 AM \| Permalink
	Hey, Batter Batter, Swing Batter John Gratton August 7, 2006 Having ruined my daughter's slow pitch softball swing for most of the summer, I was pleased she asked for help hitting fast pitch. She's good, has a nice swing, but she's a little afraid (my wild pitching doesn't help). I... Continue Reading Posted at 10:36 AM \| Permalink
	If Your Products Are Killing People, Giving Money To The YMCA May Not Be Enough John Gratton August 7, 2006 I've never tasted an alcoholic beverage, but I know its effects. Several relatives are alcoholics, and I've watched them waste their lives looking for whatever it is in the bottom of the bottle. I know people who have died in... Continue Reading Posted at 10:02 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Don't Mistake Hostility For Honesty John Gratton August 7, 2006 "Honesty without compassion and understanding is not honesty, but subtle hostility." Rose Franzblau It's like the man saying, "no, honey, that dress doesn't make you look fat – you really are fat." That may be true, but it's not honesty.... Continue Reading Posted at 9:37 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gossip Is A Noxious Break With Integrity (Believe Me) John Gratton August 7, 2006 From Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo: Any time anyone makes a negative comment about a person not present, that's gossip. Gossip is not just mean; it's a break with integrity that hurts us as much as the object... Continue Reading Posted at 9:01 AM \| Permalink
Aug 5	The 1980s – The Music Was Dull And TV Wasn’t Any Better John Gratton August 5, 2006 MSN is running a story about the top TV shows of the 1980s. The shows are Cosby Show, The A-Team (relax – obviously the survey team is playing a joke), The Dukes Of Hazzard (gag), Cheers, Miami Vice, Night Court,... Continue Reading Posted at 8:00 AM \| Permalink
	Still Fat? You May Lack Basic Food-Preparations Skills John Gratton August 5, 2006 From 8 Reasons You're Still Fat by Liz Ward, Men's Health: So you took wood shop instead of home ec. I understand – a man needs to master power tools to feel complete. But unless you find a way to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 AM \| Permalink
	Breast Enlargement And Birth Control: That’s Asking A Lot Of Your Cell Phone John Gratton August 5, 2006 From Hippo Eats Dwarf by Alex Boese, who claims only one is a hoax: Page 32: Japanese women can purchase a breast-enlarging ring tone for their mobile phones. Its inventor, Hideto Tomabechi, promises the ring tone will "increase the breast... Continue Reading Posted at 6:07 AM \| Permalink
	Get Rid of Your Antiperspirant John Gratton August 5, 2006 From Dr. Joseph Mercola: Most people use antiperspirant daily with good intentions, but using antiperspirant is a good way to increase your chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease, as it is one of the common sources of aluminum. The aluminum in... Continue Reading Posted at 5:01 AM \| Permalink
	Take A Bath On Vacation Or Take A Bike John Gratton August 5, 2006 From 1,000 Places To See Before You Die by Patricia Shultz: Take the waters at one of the world's classic spa destinations, whether it's the old-world elegance of Baden-Baden or a bath in one of Japan's hot springs. Carlsbad (aka... Continue Reading Posted at 4:04 AM \| Permalink
Aug 4	Wear The Old Coat And Buy The New Book John Gratton August 4, 2006 Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life. Mortimer Adler All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that... Continue Reading Posted at 9:00 AM \| Permalink
	Why Not Attempt The Absurd John Gratton August 4, 2006 From M.C. Escher, randomly: Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible. I think it's in my basement… let me go upstairs and check. By keenly confronting the enigmas that surround us, and by considering and analyzing the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:06 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Catch Them Before They Cheat (No, It's Not Like "Minority Report") John Gratton August 4, 2006 From Shake That Brain! by Joel Saltzman: Cyberspace makes cheating on term papers easier than ever. Years ago, you had to write a check, mail it off to a term paper company, then wait to get your paper. Now you... Continue Reading Posted at 6:01 AM \| Permalink
	Professional Baseball Is Getting Too Much Like The NBA John Gratton August 4, 2006 The only difference between the NBA and professional wrestling is the ball, and baseball is getting to be just as bad. Basketball, as played in the NBA, is impossible to watch because there are no rules, just 10 tall guys... Continue Reading Posted at 5:08 AM \| Permalink
	Teach Accountability Early John Gratton August 4, 2006 From Parent & Family August 2006: When we teach our children about accountability and hold them accountable for their words and deeds, we're giving them a strong foundation in life. "We're teaching kids that what you do now is affecting... Continue Reading Posted at 4:04 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 3	Positive Thinking Is Like Spray Paint On Rust – It Doesn't Last Long John Gratton August 3, 2006 I'm intrigued by this book, Don't Let Others Rent Space In Your Head by Gary Coxe. I like the title, and agree with the premise, but Coxe keeps saying things like "depending on where you are in life, positive thinking... Continue Reading Posted at 8:09 AM \| Permalink
	Integrity Is Swiftly Broken John Gratton August 3, 2006 "Even the smallest act should not be underestimated, for even tiny flakes of snow falling one atop another can blanket the tallest mountain in pure whiteness." Buddhist proverb From Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo: Integrity is fragile. If... Continue Reading Posted at 7:00 AM \| Permalink
	Hendrix, Patton And Einstein, Now There’s A Trio For You John Gratton August 3, 2006 "Wise men don't need advice. Fools don't take it." Benjamin Franklin "If a man does his best, what else is there?" General George S. Patton "I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." Thomas... Continue Reading Posted at 6:05 AM \| Permalink
	Theft Of Personal Information From Department Of Veteran Affairs Exposes Millions Of People John Gratton August 3, 2006 Continued diligence is the best way to protect yourself from identity theft. This is from Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, July 2006: Up to 26.5 million names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth were stolen in early May from the home... Continue Reading Posted at 5:06 AM \| Permalink
	Character Combined With Competence Earns Trust John Gratton August 3, 2006 From First Things First by Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill: Trustworthiness… is a function of character and competence. Character is what we are; competence is what we can do. And both are necessary to create... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 AM \| Permalink
Aug 2	Because Photoshop Has Become A Verb John Gratton August 2, 2006 Altering photographs is nothing new, and using them to deceive is nearly as old. Camera lenses, even camera placement, can be used to produce images that simply are not accurate. But the Internet and digital imaging software have made it... Continue Reading Posted at 8:03 AM \| Permalink
	Is Spending Money Now Rather Than Saving For Old Age An Ethical Question? John Gratton August 2, 2006 The July issue of Calling All Bulls reveals that we adults ages 50 and over "control 70 percent of all the wealth in the U.S." And it looks like a lot of us are going to need it, as "there... Continue Reading Posted at 7:05 AM \| Permalink
	Simply Because I Need A Laugh Today John Gratton August 2, 2006 "Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine." Lord Byron "You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it." Bill Cosby "Anyone who takes himself too seriously... Continue Reading Posted at 6:09 AM \| Permalink
	I Know None Of You Stole My Daughter’s Cell Phone, But Here’s What I Would Say To The Thief John Gratton August 2, 2006 So now you have my daughter’s cell phone. She set it down just for a minute, but you saw it and you picked it up and walked away. I hope you doing that didn’t ruin your sleep. It’s not much... Continue Reading Posted at 5:01 AM \| Permalink
	Your Average CEO Gets About As Much Respect As Your Average Car Salesman, Which These Days Is An Insult To Car Salesmen John Gratton August 2, 2006 A CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll in July 2002 that surveyed the American public about "people who can be trusted" found that only 23 percent believe that most CEOs of large corporations fit the bill. Almost three quarters, 73 percent, responded that... Continue Reading Posted at 4:02 AM \| Permalink
Aug 1	And The Winner Of The First Annual Poor Thoughts Will Not Produce Prosperity Contest Is… John Gratton August 1, 2006 I read somewhere that "personal progress is the real victory," but our First Annual Poor Thoughts Will Not Produce Prosperity Contest has an actual, definite, real-live winner. The challenge was to complete this sentence: Poor thoughts will not produce prosperity... Continue Reading Posted at 9:31 AM \| Permalink
	True Integrity Is Based On Keeping Your Agreements John Gratton August 1, 2006 From The Power Of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt: When you break an agreement once, you will probably be given a second opportunity. When you repeatedly break agreements, your stock and value in the marketplace... Continue Reading Posted at 7:04 AM \| Permalink
	That's 1.4 Pennies For Your Thought John Gratton August 1, 2006 You've heard the joke about the two guys who buy melons for $1 and sell them for $1 and wonder why they don't show a better profit. "We gotta get a bigger truck," one of them says. Which is, apparently,... Continue Reading Posted at 6:05 AM \| Permalink
	Three In Four U.S. Employees Witness Ethical And Legal Misconduct At Work John Gratton August 1, 2006 From Fit In, Stand Out by Blythe McGarvie: KPMG commissioned a survey of employee perceptions of organizational and leadership integrity and discovered the following disturbing statistics: 76 percent of employees said they had observed violations of the law or company... Continue Reading Posted at 5:01 AM \| Permalink
	Personal Progress Is The Real Victory John Gratton August 1, 2006 I watched my daughter's swimming lessons, and was pleased at how much she has improved. We have a friend the same age who is on a swim team, and she is a much better swimmer. Her mother is pleased with... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 AM \| Permalink

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