I recently spoke at Blast 2006 for the Blind Merchants Association. We recorded the whole kit and caboodle (the whole ball of wax, whole nine yards, whole shebang, the whole enchilada, the whole shootin' match). Here is is!

Now, please enjoy a small sample of my newest Ebook, "101 stories to make you laugh, cry and think"
 Road Improvements  

 
“He Understands”
By Mark Matteson

He Understands

One day a pastor was driving his family through the country on a sunny Wisconsin afternoon. He came upon a most magnificent farm. It was the most impressive farm he had ever seen. The flowers in the garden were spectacular. The crops were bigger and more abundant than he had ever seen. The farmhouse had a fresh coat of paint and was truly a sight to see. He wondered if the farmer appreciated all that God had given him. He stopped his car.

He waved the farmer over to ask him a question. “What can I do for you pastor?” the farmer asked. “God has certainly blessed you with a beautiful farm.” The astute farmer, understanding the intent of the statement replied, “Yes he has, and I am grateful.” Pausing for effect, he continued, “But you should have seen this place when he had it all to himself!”

The Pastor smiled as he walked away. He understands.

Why?

It was Thanksgiving morning, early. 6:30 am. She always rose early to make the traditional holiday meal, just as her mother had done, and her mother before her.

She cut the ends off the ham, put a pineapple on top and slid it into the oven. As she wiped her hands on her apron, she pondered the ends of the ham. Why? Why had she cut the ends off? As she pondered her own question, she realized she had no answer. Her mother had always done it that way. She picked up the phone. “Ma, why do you cut the ends off the Thanksgiving Ham?” There was a long pause, “You know, I don’t know. My mother always did that. Why don’t you call her?”

Grandma answered the phone. “Grandma, why do we cut the ends off the ham?” There was a long pause. Grandma burst out laughing. “You see,” she said after composing herself, “When your grandfather and I were young we didn’t have very much. A neighbor had given us an enormous ham as a gift. I went to put it in the only pan we had at the time and it didn’t fit. So I cut the ends off to make it fit. I have just been doing it that way ever since. Why do you ask?”

Challenge your assumptions at work and home.

• WHY do you do the things you do in the way that you do them?
• Who decided that?
• Is it still okay?

Stay Hungry
by Steve Chandler

Arnold Schwarzenegger was not famous yet in 1976 when he and I had lunch together at the Doubletree Inn in Tucson, Arizona. Not one person in the restaurant recognized him.

He was in town publicizing the movie Stay Hungry, a box-office disappointment he had just made with Jeff Bridges and Sally Field. I was a sports columnist for the Tucson Citizen at the time, and my assignment was to spend a full day, one-on-one, with Arnold and write a feature story about him for our newspaper's Sunday magazine.

I, too, had no idea who he was, or who he was going to become. I agreed to spend the day with him because I had to-it was an assignment. And although I took to with an uninspired attitude, it was one I'd never forget.

Perhaps the most memorable part of that day with Schwarzenegger occurred when we took an hour for lunch. I had my reporter's notebook out and was asking questions for the story while we ate. At one point I casually asked him, "Now that you have retired from bodybuilding, what are you going to do next?"

And with a voice as calm as if he were telling me about some mundane travel plans, he said, "I'm going to be the number-one box-office star in all of Hollywood."

I tried not to show my shock and amusement at his plan. After all, his first attempt at movies didn't promise much. And his Austrian accent and awkward monstrous build didn't suggest instant acceptance by movie audiences. I finally managed to match his calm demeanor, and I asked him just how he planned to become Hollywood's top star.

Mind you, this was not the slim, aerobic Arnold we know today. This man was pumped up and huge. And so for my own physical sense of well-being, I tried to appear to find his goal reasonable.

"It's the same process I used in bodybuilding," he explained. "What you do is create a vision of who you want to be, and then live into that picture as if it were already true."

It sounded ridiculously simple; Too simple to mean anything. But I wrote it down. And I never forgot it.

I'll never forget the moment when some entertainment TV show was saying that box office receipts from his second Terminator movie had made him the most popular box office draw in the world. Was he psychic? Or was there something to his formula?

Over the years I've used Arnold's idea of creating a vision as a motivational tool. I've also elaborated on it in my corporate training seminars. I invite people to notice that Arnold said that you "create a vision." He did not say that you wait until you receive a vision. You create one. In other words, you make it up.

A major part of living a life of self-motivation is having something to wake up for in the morning-something that you are "up to" in life so that you will stay hungry.

The vision can be created right now-better now than later. You can always change it if you want, but don't live a moment longer without one. Watch what being hungry to live that vision does to your ability to motivate yourself.


To Contact Steve Chandler to purchase his books, attend his seminars or take advantage of his coaching go to www.stevechandler.com
 

 So that's where that came from!

"Kit and caboodle" - The "kit" part came from mid-eighteenth century England and means outfit or collection. Caboodle probably came from a Dutch word "boedel" which means property or estate. So "kit and caboodle" means "everything and all of everything". Which is kind of like the plural of "Y'all" which is "All Y'all".

 One for the road

This months One for the Road is "Three Deep Breathes" by Thomas Crum. It's about finding power and purpose in a stressed-out world. Thomas uses a parable format to illustrate effective antidotes for anger, stress and overwhelming busyness.

You'll find it here: click here

 

  Watch "The Road" Buddy!

Matteson Avenue has a new site search tool on the Site Map page to help you better find resources.

Launch new goals this year

Listen to the Girl Scout Cookie Story this month.

Laugh more this year.

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!

 

 The Boulevard

PLANNING ON KEEPING YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS? According to Purdue University, and most experts, it’s not only important to have written goals, but you must have a plan to reach your goals.

Goals 2006 is the complete program to help you "create a life on purpose." Will 2006 be just another ho-hum year that started with good intentions? Or will it be YOUR Year! Your year to lose that weight you're tired of carrying...start that business you've been talking about...get out of debt for good. Are you tired of being stuck in the same gear?

Go see why one program graduate, Lucy O. said, "Breaking through, or at least finally recognizing, what my barrier is with writing goals, is a MAJOR accomplishment - one I've been trying to find for over 15 years! And I finally got it - I GOT IT!" Click Here

 The Wire's Conduit

This months Wire tips are a couple of real world tools for everyone. The first is called "Get The Human". Have you ever tried to reach a living breathing human being only to be trapped in "Voice Jail". Go to www.gethuman.com. The next one is a fr^ee phone information. How much does your phone company charge for 411 information? Well this one's free. Try it - 800FREE411. Of course you will have to endure a short ad but hey they have to earn money some how - www.free411.com.

Questions? email Kevin at kevin@mattesonavenue.com Have a web site? Need a web site? Need an update? Need an E-zine? Ask about our package plans. Ask about my fr*ee analysis for your site.

 

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