Passion In The Service Of Your Life's Purpose

I dropped my son off a school a little while ago and here's what occurred to me:


Passion in the service of your life's purpose is no vice.


Again.


PASSION in the service of your life's PURPOSE is no vice.



Have a GREAT day!

Met A Friend From High School In Solana Beach

You ever have one of those days where you're really tired, but it's a good day? I got up at 5 am. Now it's 7:30 pm. Good day. Really tired.

I just got back from my son's soccer practice and dropping off one of his teammates. While he was playing I went to the Solana Beach Vons and ran into Erik. I'm the type of person where you can pick up where you left off. Erik and I left Orange Glen High School 25 years ago. He seems like a good guy - just like he did back then. And, just like lots of people did back then, he confused me with my good friend, Stuart, who is still my good friend to this day. Maybe I can help him do something more because I think Erik's ready for a change. Maybe not. But maybe. I like helping people take the next step.

But, RIGHT now it's quesadilla time. And then bed? Maybe I'll walk the dog first.

MuchArticles Published My Article

I've been blogging for almost two years. I think I'm getting better at it. I can write pretty much what I choose to write.

When you submit something to a site that you personally don't control, someone has to say yes. It's a good feeling when they do because, in theory, they don't publish everything that's submitted to them.

Three Humorous Ways To Better Speechwriting is the title of my article. Click and see!

Tyrone Wells - I Write Songs

A little over a week ago my family decided to go to the evening service, The 545, at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church. The guy who sang during worship stayed after to treat us to some truly "WOW!" music. I enjoy many different genres of music and Tyrone Wells is one of the best I have ever heard. If you like authenticity in your music or simply want to enjoy some true artistry, visit Tyrone's MySpace.

http://www.myspace.com/tyronewells

Alan Reedy, Specific Googling And No Non-Profit

I Googled Alan Reedy and got a website with blog characteristics. I checked the picture more closely and I'm pretty sure it's not the magnificent attorney I know, unless he's also secretly a biker.

Then I remembered that I should have Googled Alan Reedy - attorney. Make your search as accurate as you can!

Alan called me yesterday to inform me of changes in the law that affect non-profits. I won't go into all the minutiae, but the end result is that Scholarship C.A.F.E. Foundation will either exist further in the future or not at all. We were going to be under the umbrella of National Heritage Foundation because we could be up and running as a 501(c)(3) right away, but the legislation will not allow us to give away actual scholarship monies. We would only be able to give money to other non-profit organizations, not the teens and pre-teens for whom the money was intended.

I do expect to be helping kids understand more about entrepreneurial options as well as learn the skills of how to effectively apply for scholarships and grants at a younger age. Maybe we'll have Saturday school soon.

How Often Do You Just Drop In?

I was having lunch with SB, an artist friend in Rancho Bernardo the other day. We were talking about his drawings and what we might do to market his art, among other things, and we got onto the subject of buying automobiles. He said that he never has had a truly positive car buying experience. Because we were a few blocks away at the Elephant Bar, I suggested that we should visit Bob Worner, who I mentioned in my previous post, My Car Guy Called Me. That way, the next time SB is looking for another vehicle, he will at least have met Bob, the guy who "makes car buying fun again". After a very good Cobb Salad we whizzed down West Bernardo Drive for some friendly conversation. Here are a few questions:

Do you have a trusted car person like Bob?

Have you enjoyed the experience of buying an automobile ENOUGH to take the time to visit and personally introduce a friend to your Bob?

Would you like me to introduce you to Bob?

My Car Guy Called Me

Does your car salesperson call you and ask how things are working out with the car you bought from him or her? Mine does. He called me today. [I'm talking about the actual salesperson here, not some "customer satisfaction agent" that you've never met and have no relationship with.] Bob makes it so comfortable and easy to buy a car. I know that you may have heard about great service in a commercial. You may even have had someone you know who sells cars tell you how well they treat their customers. Once upon a time I was taken in by a salesman who bought me a soda from the machine near his office. In my experience, no one who sells cars lives up to their claims of service - no one who also gives you a REASONABLE deal.

I have done business with people I know and with people I don't know. I still like a couple of those people we've gotten cars from, but I won't be doing business with them because the picture they paint for you doesn't match up with the experience you have with their company. [That's part of "selling the experience" and I'll talk more about that another time.] I have never received the kind of service AND reasonable deals that Marianne and I received with Bob Worner. Check him out by clicking on his name. Tell him Charlie sent you. If you like service, if you enjoy it when the salesperson actually does what they say they will do, call Bob today.

John McCain On Courage

Things didn't go so well with our dog training last night. My sweetheart, Marianne, decided that this trainer is too tough on our dog. So she wants to find another way to train Mellow and I was on the phone to For The Love Of Dogs. I believe this woman, Bo, will be gentler on our dog. Heck, he is only a puppy.

We are not puppies, though. Sometimes we choose to put up with discomfort or pain or embarrassment. Sometimes it's good that we did. John McCain talks about finding the courage within you when you know there are risks.

Network Spinal Analysis Again

I went to see Jocelyn Laraine again. She's the Network Spinal Analysis chiropractor I mentioned last month.

I carried my labrador, Mellow, about 100 yards and I wasn't careful about how I picked him up. He's not so little anymore.

It is pretty amazing how getting back on that table can be so tremendously helpful. I already feel more relaxed after one session and I've signed up for a dozen. Some people think that this type of repeat visit situation is a just a way for the doctor to make more money, but that is not true in all cases. We have this idea of instant solutions in our society and many times the answers aren't that simple. I had intended to go back for more sessions and Mellow just reminded me that it was time. And now it's time to go to dog obedience lessons.

Thinking Ahead Saved Me At Comic-Con

In the summer of 2005 I found myself at the San Diego Comic-Con for the first time in about 25 years. I took my son and promised that we would go all four days in 2006.

I was very tired during the 2005 convention and my feet and back were seriously complaining. I planted myself for a time in an area where couches were provided by a sponsor I don't recall. Thankfully, Sony sponsored the couches in 2006 and by day three I was starting to drop by there every so often.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language has three related definitions of foresight, which you may have wondered about in reading "Food, Festivities & Foresight". Here's the first:

1. Perception of the significance and nature of events before they have occurred.

My feet and my back did a great job of helping me remember the "nature of events" at the Comic-Con. I planned ahead in 2006.

For those of you who walk frequently, this won't sound like much. But, for those of you that have to ask yourself when was the last time you walked for exercise...I walked an average of 12 miles a week in the months leading up to Comic-Con. I knew that I had promised Stuart we would attend all four days. We got a puppy, Mellow, in April, so he helped me walk regularly. Also, Partners In Abundance, the Cannon Training [now Cannon Business Institute] Purpose and Goal Achievement group that I helped facilitate, kept me on track.

I highly recommend the "other thing" I did to improve my walking around stamina in the last year. I went to a Network Spinal Analysis chiropractor, Jocelyn Laraine. Jocelyn doesn't have a website at this time, so I simply linked to her AllPages information. We Care Chiropractic is the name of her facility.

I have felt real improvement in my flexibility and have developed better posture and breathing techniques. I was pleasantly surprised at how very gentle Network Spinal Analysis is. Unfortunately, so many people have a fixed idea about what they will experience when you utter the word "chiropractor". I urge you have some foresight and google Donald Epstein and Network Spinal Analysis. Remember, it's Donald, not Brian Epstein. Brian was "The Fifth Beatle" because he was their manager. A lot of people felt better and enjoyed life more because Brian helped bring The Beatles music to the world. Sincerely, I believe that billions of people can feel better and enjoy life more by experiencing Donald Epstein's work. And I will experience many future [four day!] conventions with my son. He had a blast and so did I and it's hard to put a price on that.

Down Two Three Days

After the fun in San Diego I got right back to the high protein-low carb lifestyle.
Monday I was 268.2 and now I'm down two in three days to 266.2 pounds. I find it helps to go to restaurants with low carb-friendly items on their menu. Pita's Mediterranean Grill in San Marcos has a low carb chicken plate that's not the same old thing. I order it every time I'm in the neighborhood. Pita's is listed on City of the San Marcos website as a Greek restaurant. Give Pita's a try when you're in the area.

My Son Takes College Classes!

Yesterday we took Stuart to the community college for testing to see what math he will be taking in a few weeks. He's already got two semesters of college Spanish under his belt and one semester of Biology. It's still pretty amazing to me even after a year. Yeah, I'm proud. He's going into tenth grade. And he loves Comic-con.

Click here for information on attending the festivities next year.

The Start - San Diego Comic Con 2006

Last year I promised Stuart, my son, that we would attend all four days of Comic Con 2006. Yes, we did! A great time was had by all. Join us next year, won't you?

I'll be posting about some truly talented and interesting people I met, hopefully including Sam Jones, who played Flash Gordon a couple decades or so ago. Stuart got an autographed picture of Sam as alien bounty hunter Aris Boch in Stargate SG-1's Season Three episode Deadman Switch. SG-1 fans and the curious can read about that episode here.

Food, Festivities and Foresight covers a lot of ground. If you know of something you'd like featured here, let me know. I found this quote attributed to Jim Rohn:

"Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, "We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice people." Wow! What a clever short cut."

We like to meet nice people, too, and we're not averse to making a profit alongside the nice people doing quality work. Let us know who you know!