Freedom From Fear Forever is now shipping!

We want to thank those of you who took advantage of the pre-order special we offered.

We want to reward all our E-Zine Street readers and thank you for your patience and loyalty.

For those that order this month (before October 31st) Freedom From Fear Forever (up to two copies) will ship on the house.

Click here for all the details.
 

 Road Improvements  

Another chapter from Freedom From Fear Forever for your consideration:

Chapter Ten – "Add Years to Your Life and Life to Your Years"

One of Len's friends told him a story once which he cherished.

As the story goes, he was repairing an ice machine in a very posh Senior Housing community. The lunch bell rang and in shuffled 35 women chasing one guy. His name was George. They ALL wanted him to sit at their table. As he was the only man in the room, he was one very popular fellow!

That experience began a chain reaction of thoughts. From that day forward, Len's friend began to study longevity. Why did some men live a long time and others did not? Was it diet? Exercise? Communication? Few people would argue the point that women, in the main, do a much better job of those three factors than men.

No, it wasn't that. It was purpose. Having meaning in your life. "Without a vision we perish," it says in the Old Testament.

Women never retire!

According to the actuary tables, 68% of American men in the U.S. are dead within 18 moths of retirement!

The famous men of history that lived a long time: painters, musicians, writers, actors, artists, all had one thing in common. They never retired. There was always one more song, movie, play, painting, or story.

George Bernard Shaw lived to be 92, Monet, 92, Mark Twain, 83, George Burns, 99, Bob Hope, 100. None of these men even considered retirement. They shared the following common denominators: First, They were doing what they loved. Next, they had goals, projects and objectives long into the future. They didn't care what others thought of them. They invested a lifetime in a passionate pursuit of their dreams. They never stopped learning about their chosen profession, they were serious students. They gave away what they knew to young people that shared a common pursuit.

"They had amazing ATTITUDES?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes!"

Based on his tone of voice, I knew the good stuff was coming. I grabbed my journal and pen.

"The common denominators of their success: Their attitude, at the beginning of a difficult task, more than anything else, will manifest the results they seek. It's a mindset, a strong belief in their own abilities that will ensure their success."

"So, it's a decision?"

"Yes, on a daily basis," Len said with a smile. "Next, I must remember that I am a mirror. Whatever I give out is reflected back to me. My attitude toward others will always determine their attitude toward me! This is one of those ironclad laws."

I was writing as fast as I could.

"Before I can achieve anything I want in life, I must think, talk and act in all aspects of my life as would the person I wish to become. It’s best if I have a written description of the kind of person I wish to become. I become what I think about."

He paused again to let me catch up. He was on a roll.

"The position one attains in business is a reflection of the attitude of the person. Most CEO's I know are there because of their attitudes. They do not have a good attitude because of their position. The right attitude always comes first, the position later. An attitude of other-centeredness, of service to others, of appreciation for other’s strengths and skills will have a magic effect on others self-worth. The deepest craving in the human condition is the need to be appreciated. A great habit to adopt is to catch people doing things right."

"This is common sense, isn't it?"

"More like uncommon sense. Most people have heard it, few apply it."

"For example, displacing the negative habits of blame, complain and explain with personal responsibility, gratitude and hard work is a habit. It's a hard habit to form, but an easy one to live with."

"Easier said than done?"

"Exactly! A variation of the Golden Rule is, treat everyone you meet as if they were the most important person on earth for several reasons: They are as far as they are concerned! It is how we should treat one another; it will become a habit."

"Len, I appreciate the time you are making."

"You are most welcome. I learn best when I teach. The next one is simple. Each of us loves to receive it." He paused, smiled.

"Smile. It takes 13 facial muscles to smile and 47 to frown. It's actually easier to smile. It's the universal language of success and joy."

Len practiced what he preached. He was always smiling. It was infectious.

"Learn the art of gratitude, acceptance and forgiveness. How important is it, really? Let the little things go that others do to and against you. You never know where they are at the moment. Become an optimist. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. Optimists live longer than pessimists do. It's a daily choice. It’s how we see the world and how the world sees us."

My pen was ablaze, smoking. Len stopped. He got up and walked to the bathroom. My head was spinning. This was the good stuff.

"Did you ever notice how some people don't seem to be affected by all the negativity in the world?"

"Yes," I said with a hint of sadness. Thinking to myself, I thought of some organizations that seem to prosper in turbulent times. I finally said aloud, as if I was snapped out of a hypnotic trance, "How do they manage this magic act?"

"Well, I have been studying optimism, hope and peak performers with positive attitudes for almost 20 years. Here are some of the conclusions I have drawn," Len said with confidence and certainty:

"Human beings, by altering their inner attitudes of mind, can change their outer world in every aspect of their lives." He went on to say, "We need only act as if a thing were real and it will grow into such a connection with our lives, so knit with habit, that it will become real."

With a slight scowl, I replied, "So if I ACT AS IF, the feelings and results will follow?"

"Exactly!" Len said with a Cheshire Cat smile.

Continuing on, he said, "I once knew a woman who increased sales in her company in one of the worst economic times the country had ever seen! Her solution was simple. She found and hired away the very best sales people from her competition, trained them like crazy and told them to DOUBLE THEIR ACTIVITY! Guess what? It worked! It worked then, it will work now. She was an optimist! She believed in the best, expected the best and manifested it in her company. The power of belief is an amazing thing."

"I hate to keep asking dumb questions..."

"No such thing. Go ahead."

"So let me get this straight. What is INSIDE a person is far more important than anything going on outside a person?"

"Precisely!" He was grinning big now. "Manage your input by monitoring what you do, who you associate with, what you read and listen to."

I was writing like crazy.

"Everything and everyone counts. There isn't anything that doesn’t matter."

I left that meeting with Len thinking about ice machines, little old ladies chasing me at 85 and how I could improve my attitude so that I live a long time.

 

 One for the road

This months must read is of course Freedom From Fear Forever. Not only is it available in book form but as an e-book (pdf) and very soon as an audio book.

 

  Watch "The Road" Buddy!

Have you been to Matteson Avenue lately? We have been busy. We have a new Site Map page with direct links to everything.

We have a link to a new page for the 100 best Children's Book.

I little humor never hurts

 

 The Boulevard

This months featured web site is Marks special Freedom From fear Forever book site.

It's all about the book and you can read the first two chapters

 

 The Wire's Conduit

This months Wire tip is about those scads of digital pictures. First the basics. Windows has a default folder and I suggest you use it (I do) It's called "My Pictures". It's the default search folder among other reasons. Under that folder should be other folders. I organize mine by event and person. I also have a folder under each person by date or activity.

I use ACDsee. It's been around of a number of years and I've upgraded many times. It does everything from recognize my memory card and copy pictures off it to creating slide shows. It has basic editing tools (crop/resize/exposure) as well. I love it because it opens in a browser mode and gives you thumbnail views along with a preview. It's very easy and fast even when opening those 5 mega-pixel images.

It also allows you an easy way to delete those images that didn't turn out so well. You do delete those don't you? Besides the slide show builder it also allows to print a page of selected pictures (contact sheet) and you choose how many on each page and how big they are.

Download a FR^EE Trial of ACDSee Today

 

I rate this a 9 on the value scale (1-10 - 10 being best)
I rate this a 2 on the complexity scale ( 1-10 - 10 being hardest)

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.

 

 End Construction  

Thank You again for your valuable time. We appreciate you letting us bombard you with Freedom From fear Forever.

If you enjoyed receiving E-Zine Street, consider forwarding it to a friend by clicking "Forward Email" below.