E-Zine Street
Volume 4, # 10 The
Service Professionals Resource July 3, 2008 • $2.95
|
|
Road Improvements
Just for Today, Turkish Taffy
& Billy Joel?
By Mark Matteson
As children, the only
reference most baby boomers had for the country of Turkey
was a candy known as Turkish Taffy. I was reminded of this
in a recent telephone conversation with my good friend, Dan
Holohan.
“When we were kids, we
bought a big chunk of Turkish Taffy, stuck it in the
freezer, and just before we went to the movies on Saturday,
we would bust that frozen chunk into a bunch of tiny
pieces.”
I smiled, remembering it, too.
I had been asked to put
together a team of speakers for a conference in Istanbul,
Turkey in November and immediately thought of Dan. Sadly, he
turned me down.
“I’m going to be in
Paris speaking that month. I don’t want to miss Thanksgiving
with my family.”
“Hey, somebody has to
go to Paris to speak; it may as well be you!” I told him.I love to hear of
business people turning down work because they know what
their values are. Roy Disney, Walt’s brother, once said,
“When you know what your values are, decisions are simple.”
How true.
Dan and I correspond by
e-mail on a regular basis and have become good friends.
“Twin sons of different mothers”, I said to him recently. We
trade stories in the electronic equivalent of a barbershop.
Here is one of my favorite Holohan stories:
All the while I was
in high school, I dated Maureen, who was from a neighboring
school and a beauty. I also sat next to Billy Joel in many
of my classes.
One day, just before the start of Mr. Criscola's ninth-grade
biology class, Billy was singing the Herman's Hermits song,
"Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter". While he sang,
he tapped on his desktop with two No. 2 Ticonderoga pencils.
He turned to me and said, “Someday, I'm going be more famous
than Herman.” Right, I thought.
Maureen and I were
at a Spring Fling in our senior year and Billy was playing
keyboard with his band, The Commandos. During a break, he
came down off the stage and tried to pick up Maureen. He was
smooth but she just smiled at him and said, "I'm with
Danny." He shrugged, smiled, gave me a little salute and
walked away.
Maureen went to work
for Grumman right after high school and I went to college.
The romance didn't last much longer than that and I haven't
seen her since. I like to think she sits somewhere and slaps
herself on the forehead, saying, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"
Life is a wonderful
journey.
Dan has a loyal
readership of his own e-zine. To meet Dan and his friends,
go to
www.heatinghelp.com and sign up today. He has more great
stories than anyone I know.
Just for Today
The first self-help book I ever read was
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It’s a classic. I kept
a copy of it in my service truck while working as a technician in 1981 and
faithfully read a chapter a day. I recently plucked another gem by D.C. from my
bookshelf and re-read it yesterday, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. It
might be even better than his classic. It’s filled with great stories and
fascinating bits of advice. In the chapter, “Seven Ways to Peace and Happiness”,
I rediscovered one of my favorite bits of advice. I never knew where the
following passage originated until yesterday. It was written by Sybil F.
Partridge in 1908. Carnegie writes, “I found this program so inspiring I gave
away hundreds of copies.”
Now it’s my turn. Here you go, some 100-year-old advice:
1. Just for today,
I will be happy. This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln
said is true, that “Most folks are about as happy as
they make their minds up to be.” Happiness is from
within; it is not a matter of externals.
2. Just for today, I will adjust myself to what is, and
not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will
take my family, my business and my luck as they come and
fit myself to them.
3. Just for today, I will take care of my body. I will
exercise it, care for it, nourish it, not abuse or
neglect it so that it will be perfect machine for my
bidding.
4. Just for today, I will strengthen my mind, I will
learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I
will read something that requires effort, thought and
concentration.
5. Just for today, I will exercise my soul in three
ways: I will do somebody a good turn and not get found
out. I will do at least two things today I don’t want to
do, as William James says, just for exercise.
6. Just for today, I will be agreeable. I will look as
well as I can, dress as becomingly as possible, talk
low, act courteously be liberal with praise, criticize
not at all, nor find fault with anything and not try to
regulate, not improve anyone (but myself).
7. Just for today, I will live through this day only,
not to tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do
things for 12-hours that would appall me if I had to
keep them up for a lifetime.
8. Just for today, I will have a program. I will write
down what I expect to do every hour. I may not follow it
exactly, but I will have it. It will eliminate two
pests: hurry and indecision.
9. Just for today, I will have a quiet half-hour all by
myself and relax. In this half-hour sometimes I will
think of God, so as to get a little more perspective
into my life.
10. Just for today, I will be unafraid, especially I
will not be afraid to be happy, to enjoy what is
beautiful, to love, to believe those I love, love me.
Just for today.
I wonder what would
happen if you printed this, pasted it on your bathroom
mirror, and read it aloud for 30 days as a test…
Now where can I find
some Turkish Taffy to enjoy while listening to Billy
Joel...I think Dan Holohan is smiling on Long Island.
Is He The Greatest?
I love the movies. I especially like any movie by George
Lucas and Steven Spielberg. In many of their films, one guy
is the point man, Harrison Ford. From a bottom-line business
perspective, he is the greatest box office draw in the
history of film. His films have grossed more than any other
actor. Harrison is 64 years old at this writing. However,
there is another actor in his early forties who is gaining
on him fast, Will Smith.
Smith’s newest film, Hancock, premieres next week. It is
almost certain to be a hit. Why? Patterns. Huh? Will Smith
studies patterns. I like to call them Causes of Success
(COS). According to Will, “Nine-tenths of the biggest movies
of all time have special effects, eight-tenths have
creatures, and seven-tenths have a love story. If you want a
hit movie, you might want to have those in the mix. I just
try to be where lightening strikes.”Here is Will Smith’s
12-year sales track record:
1996 – Independence Day - $306 Million
1997 – Men in Black – $251 Million
1999 – Wild, Wild West – $114 Million
2002 – Men in Black 2 – $190 Million
2003 – Bad Boys 2 – $139 Million
2004 – I Robot – $145 Million
2006 – Hutch – $128 Million
If Hancock does as well as predicted, he will be the
first actor in Hollywood to rake in $100 million in eight
straight films! How does he do it?
Here are Will Smith’s COS’s:
• You have to find the humor in things. You must
learn to laugh at yourself.
• He loves people and routinely conducts marathon
autograph sessions. He really loves life and is
genuinely enthusiastic. He doesn’t take anything for
granted. He goes through life like a steamroller.
• He has a unique blend of humility and ambition. He
said “When I was filming Ali, it occurred to me that the
character I was playing kept saying ‘I am the Greatest’
in the midst of tremendous pain, rejection, and racism.
He was saying it to make himself believe it. He said it
so often, one day he believed it. One day, it was true.
That’s what I have tried to do for myself.”
• He credits his first girlfriend for his drive for
fame. After learning she cheated on him (like in his
film Hutch), Smith vowed he’d never again let someone
make him feel inadequate.
• He is smart. He plays chess. He can actually solve a
Rubik’s cube (as his character did in The Pursuit of
Happyness).
• He goes the extra-mile. He works harder than anyone
else on the set.
What are the COS’s in your business? If you are in
sales, what do you need to know? If you are a manager,
what do you need to master? If you are the owner of a
small or medium size business, what are the patterns in
your industry?
Who are the top five people or companies in your
industry?
1.
___________________________________________________________
2.
___________________________________________________________
3.
___________________________________________________________
4.
___________________________________________________________
5.
___________________________________________________________
What are the patterns? What are the top three activities
they each do?
1.
___________________________________________________________
2.
___________________________________________________________
3.
___________________________________________________________
I think I’ll go rent Independence Day. I want to see a
good movie with SPECIAL EFFECTS, CREATURES and a LOVE STORY.
|
Consider this:
NO plan is worse than a bad plan.
Failure to
Plan IS Planning to Fail.
Mark Matteson |
Bits and Pieces
Someone once said, “The Quality of my life is proportionate
to the quality of my relationships.” Do you think that’s
true?
I recently invested two days working with one of the finest
groups of people ever assembled in one company. They were so
teachable, humble, and kind; the most engaged people I have
worked with in a long time. (Sam, thanks for letting me play
in your sandbox!) I learned a great deal from them. They do
many of the things others talk about doing. We were
assembled to create the following ideas on paper that
reflect who they are, why they are in business, and where
they are going. We created their:
• Vision
• Values
• Goals
• Operating Guidelines (Behavior)
Near the end, one attendee said, “We need to put the Golden
Rule in here somewhere!” Then another attendee said, “Yes,
it’s kind of like kindergarten.” I smiled, thinking of
Robert Fulghum’s book.
That night I wrote down 12 simple phrases in my journal that
will help me live the Golden Rule. Simple, but not easy.
They represent things I like to hear. Maybe you do, too.
Here they are, submitted for your approval:
1. I don’t
know...
2. If you please...
3. Thank you...
4. Excuse me...
5. I beg your pardon....
6. It’s my fault...
7. Perhaps, if you wouldn’t mind...
8. Forgive me...
9. You’re right....
10. I am so sorry...
11. Oh well...
12. That’s an interesting point of view...
Good manners. Kind words. Simple ideas. If someone cuts in
line, acts selfishly, is rude to you, does something dumb,
how do you respond? There is a difference between reacting
and responding. I have discovered that at times I am
impatient, unkind, selfish, afraid, embarrassed, resentful,
or full of self pity. I hope others understand if I am
having a bad day. It seems to me, if I use one or more the
phrases above, things seem to flow much more smoothly.
It really is true, “The quality of my life is proportionate
to the quality of my relationships.” I am going to keep
working on making these 12 phrases a part of me....like Sam.
Watch "The Road" Buddy!
Matteson Avenue
has an archive of all the ezines of past.
Launch
new goals this year
Lessons of Life
Laugh more this year.
Check out my movie list to make you Laugh, Cry and Think
Learn more this year by reading a book a month on the
Reading List
Leave a legacy this year -
Freedom From Fear Forever
has a great message!
End Construction
Thank You again for your valuable time. We appreciate
you!
If you enjoyed receiving E-Zine Street, consider forwarding it to
a friend by clicking "Forward Email" below.
To Contact Mark Matteson for:
• A Keynote Speech for your Association
• A Tailored Seminar for your Organization
• Consulting for your Organization
• To Sign Up for his Mentoring/Coaching Program
Voice Mail 877.672.2001 - Cell Phone 206.697.0454
Web Site www.mattesonavenue.com
For a Copy of Mark’s last book, “Freedom From Fear FOREVER”
go to www.fffbook.com and order today!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Join "The Road" to Continuous Improvement!