What If

With so many opportunities to be getting so much more out of life and to be a positive influence on the world, I asked myself, what if...

What if we all did the right thing, instead of the wrong thing in the hopes that we get away with it?
What if we all had a positive attitude rather than a pessimistic or negative one?
What if we all ate a balanced diet and exercised?
What if we all kept our promises?
What if we all respected each other's religion, heritage and beliefs?
What if we listened twice as much as we talked?
What if we all gave to the less fortunate?
What if we all told the truth?
What if we all tried a little harder?
What if we all knew that each of the above is a choice to be made everyday...

Rule #1 You Always Have a Choice

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.  It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.  Every morning a lion wakes up.  It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lion or a gazelle, when the sun comes up you’d better be running.

Choice, probably the most important thing in my life that I’ve learned to understand.  Choice is something that we all have.  You can choose to tell the truth, exercise, work hard, own your mistakes, learn, achieve success, and be whatever you want.  Sometimes, the tough part with making a choice is the choice itself; General Norman Schwarzkopf (ret) said it best, "the truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it."  We all know that to maintain good health we need to have a well balanced diet and to get regular exercise, but too many of us don’t make that choice.  We all know that to get ahead and be successful at anything that you have to put in a lot of time, hard work and practice, but again, so many of us choose mediocrity.  Imagine what could be achieved if everyone made a positive choice to make the world a better place…  I will never tell anyone what the right or wrong choice is for them, as long as we all accept the decisions we make without regret.  If you can do that, we’re all successful.  The choices we make define who we are.

A Great Quote from Howard Schultz

Here's a quote from Onward, the second book about Starbucks by Howard Schultz.  A good read if you get a chance.

Grow with discipline.  Balance intuition with rigour.  Innovate around the core.  Don't embrace the status quo. Find new ways to see.  Never expect a silver bullet.  Get your hands dirty.  Listen with empathy and over-communicate with transparency.  Tell your story, refusing to let others define you.  Use authentic experiences to inspire.  Stick to your values, they are your foundation.  Hold people accountable but give them the tools to succeed.  Make the tough choices; it's how you execute that counts.  Be decisive in times of crisis.  Be nimble.  Find truth in trials and lessons in mistakes.  Be responsible for what you see, hear and do.  Believe.

My Ten Rules

1. You always have a choice
2. Don't expect anything, earn it
3. Give away trust, you'll get it back
4. Exercise
5. Surround yourself with good friends and family
6. Enjoy life
7. Play a sport
8. Be honest with yourself, and others
9. Read
10. Be a leader, not a victim

Stay tuned for my thoughts on each rule.

Lean Egg Yolk Separation

Have you ever done some baking or cooking and needed to separate the egg yolk from the egg white?  Well, I haven't, but this video (click on the link below) came my way and I thought it could be helpful to everyone out there who has this challenge.  The video is not in English but you'll get the idea.  Even if you don't have to, give it a try.

http://www.youtube.com/v/Uz2Vnp5ZW4c
What do you think?

Another Funny E-mail Auto-Responder

Here's the next instalment in my battle to lighten up e-mail auto-responders.


I will be away from _________ through to _________, back in the office on _________. During this time I will be checking my e&v-mail but may not be able to get back to you right away. Why? Because while away I will be golfing, and responding to messages on the golf course will get me off my game and probably lead to worm burners, chunks and slices. Although, these things will happen anyway...


In case of an absolute emergency that requires my immediate attention, please call our office at 604-524-0524 where our amazing team members can help you, or will know how to contact me. Bribe them. Tell them they look beautiful. Examples of "absolute emergency" include: You are the Queen, you are Andy Kaufman, you urgently want to give me a million dollars, you are Wile E Coyote and have finally caught the Road Runner but you need my help with what to do next.


Smile, and make it a GREAT day!
Mike

Happiness

"Happiness is a journey, not a destination; happiness is to be found along the way not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it's too late. The time for happiness is today not tomorrow." ~ Quoted by Paul H Dunn

"Being happy is a choice that we should all make everyday." - Me