100 Days, 100 Ways Day 2: The Importance of Eating Breakfast

Tony the Tiger® has been telling us, for many years, that eating a well balanced and nourishing breakfast is GRREEEAAATTTT! I agree 100%

However, who has time to prepare and eat a full balanced meal? Heck, I was happy if I could down my second cup of coffee before I had to hit the road. I know I was not alone in this. My business partner has this unwritten rule of NO BREAKFAST (not even a cup of coffee) YIKES!!!

Seriously, I have recently taken up with eating breakfast on a regular basis. If you plan your meal just right there is nothing that will cause you to gain weight or make you feel sluggish. If anything finding YOUR right menu will not only energize you but it will start you down the RIGHT path to weight loss as you will be eating three squares a day and NOT stuffing your face at the Chinese buffet come lunch time to make up for skipped morning meal.

Eat Breakfast Every Morning!
As I wrote, Breakfast will also recharge your energy reserves that were deplete over the 8 hours or so of sleeping. Restore the spent vitamins and minerals that your body used and still needs throughout the day. It will also help you feel not as hungry when you walk past the buffet line.

Seriously, get up just a few minutes early, make yourself a simple breakfast. I'm not talking a full English breakfast consisting of bacon, poached or fried eggs, fried or grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, toast with butter, sausages and baked beans, usually served with a mug of tea. Save the full English breakfast for the weekend or the next time you find yourself at the Spindle Lodge in Leicester, U.K. (tell them Dave sent you!)

If you are stuck as to what to make/eat I recommend plenty of protein and plenty of liquids (water, coffee, tea). Give that a try. (Did you notice I made NO mention of starches (no toast, no hash browns)? You'll get those later in the day. Besides why would you want to mess with the work your body has done all night long?

I do invite you to join the conversation and tell me what you think about any of the postings so far.

Cheerio!
-Dave Guerra

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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disclaimer: Tony the Tiger® is a registered trademark of Kellogg Company and used without permission and it can be removed by asking nicely once.

100 Days, 100 Ways Day 1: Keep A Journal

If you know me, then you know that I am a History buff. Having played a role in Cold War History, I know the importance of the keeping a journal (a diary). There are numerous reasons people have for keeping a journal maybe just as many reasons that people have for reading other people's journals/diaries. One reason, I firmly believe is to experience the past the way others lived it. Personally, I cherish the notes, letters, and writings that I created when I was living in Berlin during the mid-1980s. While the notes themselves are NOT great literary works of art they are priceless nonetheless.

I bet that most people that know me do not know that I have kept some form of a journal since 1985. I have never been 100% faithful to the entry part of keeping a journal but I have been faithful to having a place to write down names, events, exchanges, notes, and what not. For the most part, when I did write I wrote about what struck me as noteworthy on that day. I know some people would be surprised at the level of detail that some of those entries contain. Then again, there are some entries that are quick and to the point such as "September 18, 1986: walked to Andrews with Farrell and picked up two doner kebabs" (it was a Thursday by the way) 

So why keep a journal?
There is an old quote from Spanish Philosopher, Essayist, Poet and Novelist: George Santayana in his book "Vol. I, Reason in Common Sense" that answers this question. "Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Besides in a hundred days from now you can reflect on what you have learned about me or better still what you learned about yourself over the course of these 100 Days, 100 Ways series of blogposts.

Is it difficult to keep a journal?

At first, it appears to be a daunting task but once you get into it you can  you can have a good time capturing moments. 2012 compared to 1985 there are more tools available to you than I had then. Now all of us have almost instant (24/7) access to blogs, video, audio recording options on our smart phones and of course, we still have pen and paper (my journal weapons of choice).

The only difficult part  is getting started. Thus the challenge has been made, find your weapons of choice and get started journal-ling! Start recording your place in history.

Thank you!
-Dave Guerra

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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Day 0: 100 Days, 100 Ways of Better Living & even Better Thinking

I am going to try something (I tried it something like this before). Others have tried it and others will try it, so why not me? Here is my plan:

Over the next 100 days I will post one new post a day on what I see as those things that are Important to improving our way of living and thinking. Of course, there are some great people, books, manuscripts, and graphics that have posted before for me. That's OK but remember none of them are me. I am me and I have something to say because this I believe and know.

Whether you agree or not with what I have to say or present, at your own risk, I invite you to join me for the next 100 days (even though I say today is Day 0 it is also Day 1 and the first posting is coming a little later today).

I do invite you to join the conversation and tell me what you think about any of the postings so far.

Thanks. -Dave Guerra

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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About So-Called "Social Media Experts"

This is one of those blog posts that I have been meaning to post but don't. As a matter of fact, I started writing the bulk of this several months ago but for some reason or another I just can't bring myself to complete. That is until now.

Until today, when I received a phone call at my place of business from a "social media expert" and it seems that according to this guy that because he has been using Twitter and Facebook since they came online he is the "social media expert" in my area. I played along and asked if he was a "certified" social media expert and he said he was. I asked where he got his certification? His response was the "Center for Social Media" at a local community college (FYI: to protect the innocent I altered the name of the organization he named as the provider of the alleged "certification").

I know for a fact, the organization he mentioned has NO such certification program. The closest program is a Certificate in "Marketing" under their Business Administration program and that certification offers ONE (1) class that has the word marketing in the title: "Principles of Marketing" (I am suspect of the entire certification program, as well). Moving on...

I told him "no thank you" and proceeded to hang up. He was insistent, to the bitter end of the call, that he was the ONLY expert in the area.

*CLICK* 

Unfortunately, I know he will find some sucker to take his money. I say sucker because it does NOT take a lot to make Social Media work for you and your organization and most business owners I know are NOT in the habit of throwing money away.

However, there are those that will throw money away because they don't know any better. Throwing money in the direction of self-professed "experts" is like asking your next door neighbor to remove your appendix because he just happens to be a Licensed Vocational Nurse (I am not knocking the LVN profession because they know that ONLY Medical Doctors (Surgeons) are the ONLY ones who can perform surgery, no matter what Hawkeye and Col. Potter told Fr. Mulcahy over the radio on M*A*S*H).

As for the "gentleman" that telephoned offering his "expert" services, I know I can do a better job than that nitwit. Heck, anyone with half a brain and a conscience can do a better job. 

Let me make certain that you know and understand this about me: I am by no means claiming to be a "Social Media Expert"

Though:
• I have been on Facebook since January 19, 2007 (5+ years ago)
• I have been on Twitter since March 26, 2007 (5+ years ago)
• I have been on YouTube since November 1, 2009 (3 years ago)
• I have been Blogging since November 25, 2005 (7 years ago)
• I have been paid professionally as a computer technician and network analyst since 1992 (20 years ago)
• I had and tinkered with my first computer when I was 14 (30+ years ago)
• I wrote my first computer program (in BASIC) when I was 15 (30 years ago)

Does any of that make me an expert? NO!!!

I repeat: I AM NOT AN EXPERT (especially not a Social Media Expert). Now, don't me me wrong, what I do know I know very well and I am constantly learning. After a Bachelor's in Business Administration and a Master's in Business Administration you could say I still have a lot to learn. Thus I classify myself as a Lifelong Learner.

So why do I not call myself an expert, especially a social media expert? Because in the grand scheme of ALL THINGS, Social Media is 10 minutes old. As the entire Social Media landscape is CONSTANTLY and CONSISTENTLY changing, so for anyone to call themselves a SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT because they play with the toys is like calling myself BERING SEA CRAB FISHERMAN because I watch DEADLIEST CATCH.

Now let me tell you the one thing that all those so-called self-proclaimed Social Media Experts do NOT want you to know. That's right I am going to give you the SECRET to SOCIAL MEDIA? Those SME's (Social Media Experts) will charge you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for the following two words that may or may not work for you. Here it is: BE CONSISTENT!

Plain and simple: Be Consistent. Be consistent when it comes to putting content out on all the social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Spreecast, etc., etc.) you can. If having so many channels to choose from seems overwhelming then pick a couple and use them until you are ready to add more.


Please, do not pay anyone for the advice I just gave you for FREE!!! If some "social media expert" comes knocking on your door or calls you on the phone or drops you an unsolicited email please tell him or her, "No, Thank You!"

Tell him that you are onto his tricks and you will not pay one invoice for service, support and advice that you can get for FREE and be just as, if not better, successful!

Then again, I know there are people that will not hear my words of warning then in that case please submit your $500 PayPal payment to dave@daveguerra.com

Seriously, my prices are reasonable and that's why I am giving the secret away for FREE!

UPDATE: I should make the following addition:  There are some VERY GOOD Social Media Professionals out there. I know this because I have sought them out. That means I went looking for them and they NEVER (not once) claimed they were Social Media Experts and that they were the only game in town. Quite on the contrary, they have actually referred me to other Social Media Professionals when the need to further specialize arose. I highly doubt the cold caller would have had the professional courtesy to refer me to someone else if the need arose.


As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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August 13, 1961 / The Berlin Wall

Today is August 13, 2012. 51 years ago today, construction began on the Berlin Wall. It was a scar that divided one of the Greatest Cities on the planet. After plenty of heartache, pain, and suffering the Berlin Wall eventually fell on November 9, 1989.

I can honestly say and attest, that while I was serving with the US Army, as a member of the Army of Occupation of Berlin, it was such a great honor to be one of the Defenders of Berlin's Freedom along with my fellow US soldiers, British and French counterparts.

The role that I played in World History can never be taken away from me and those that served before me, with me, and after me.

We did all the right things to ensure that there was a West Berlin that those that were oppressed, under the communist regime of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik, had as a shining example of what Freedom was and is to turn to and inspire to make that wall fall.

Today is definitely not a day to celebrate but a day to remember all the Bad and all the Good that came to symbolize the Berlin Wall.


As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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Stars Earn Stripes? Seriously? Are You Kidding Me? Really?

Did anyone see or hear about that new show on NBC? It is called "Stars Earn Stripes". Apparently, some "celebrities' are out to prove that the military has nothing on them. it seems that these "celebrities" can do what Special Operations Personnel can do anytime, anyplace. I'm sorry, I find it extremely difficult to believe that the concept the producers are trying to sell the American public truly "pays homage to the men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and our first-responder services."

I fear that this show will do nothing than to make a mockery of the EACH and EVERY VETERAN and ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY PERSONNEL.

Why do I believe this? These "celebrities" are playing a GAME. At the end of the competition, the "celebrities" get to go home alive without so much as a scratch. They get First Class accommodations before and after the show and if they don't feel like playing, then they don't have to cut their beauty sleep short.

Personally, if they want to be taken seriously and do something meaningful, EACH and EVERYONE of these "celebrities" should either visit a Recruiter, Sign on the dotted line, Raise their Right Hand and Walk Their (unscripted) Talk or if a military career does not fall into their "five year plan" then they should at least donate, without hesitation and reservation, the ENTIRE paycheck they are making for participating in this "show" to the USO, the Wounded Warrior Project, or any other Veteran Charitable Organization.

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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R.I.P. Stephen R. Covey

Today, the world, whether it knows it or not, lost one of the greatest thinkers, teachers, mentors, and the most human human being; Stephen R. Covey. If you have heard of him and knew of him then you are familiar with the book that the world for many people all over the world.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.

Changed my world in 1997. In the spring of 1997, I spent 5 days taking the 7 Habits program (yes, it was a five day program back then). At first, I was a little skeptical as to what the program was all about and wondered why my supervisor, who happened to be the Regional Director for a State of Texas Agency, recommended that I attend the course. I was not about to argue with the Regional Director so hesitantly, I sat down and opened the workbook.

By the end of Day One, I was starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. By the end of the course, I did not want it to end. I got it. 100% I got exactly what Stephen Covey was selling. I now had the tools to shape and redefine my post US Army Infantryman life.

If you have not had a chance to experience the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People then I recommend that you get yourself a copy of the book in paperback, audio CD, or the DVD. With either you can't go wrong. A word of warning, once you start you cannot stop because in order for the habits to work, to work effectively you must commit to them. This is not an easy task but it can be done. You will be tested every step of the way but if you are really ready for change then I say GO FOR IT!!! Don't worry you will stumble and you will fall.

Since 1997, I have stumbled and fallen numerous times but I have picked myself back up and remain secure with the knowledge that I, again, will "begin with the end in mind" (Habit 2 of 7).

I have since left the public sector and work hard on Habit 1:  "Be Proactive" everyday because that's what Dr. Stephen R. Covey expects all of us.

Thank You Dr. Covey for all that you have done for me and for everyone that ever read your book, saw your videos and listened to your words. You will be missed but your Legacy will Live On!

Rest In Peace, Stephen R. Covey.

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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A Second Of Your Time For A Lifetime To Teach Others

Friends and Followers and The World,
I invite you to take a few seconds to read this classic. Then take a few minutes to ponder the meaning. Next, take a few hours to contemplate how you are applying this to your life. Then take a lifetime to teach others.
 
 

Invictus by William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

            

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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Get Angry, Get Frustrated

Get Angry...Get Frustrated...Get Upset...You Better Be...Blame Yourself...Blame No One Else...Blaming Others Is A Sign Of Being A Weak Individual...Don't Be A Weak Individual...The World Already Has Too Many!


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Desire and the 5-year Commitment!!!

Being a Coffee Aficionado...no...no...more like a Coffee FrEAk!!! Earlier this week, I was looking into what it would take to grow my own coffee beans. I found some KONA Coffee Plants that I could order at Amazon and grow.

Oh yes, I was psyched.

I could almost smell the aroma of roasting my own coffee beans. It was going to be wonderful, tasty, and above all it was going to be the "best part of waking up."

That is until I read the fine print. That's where the bottom fell out from underneath me: It can take up to 5-years before any good beans are produced. What? I had to commit 5 years to the care and maintenance of some plants that may or may not produce before I could pick my first coffee bean? What if the yield was not enough to make a single cup of coffee? How many more years would I have to wait?

The questions and the "What If's" started to pile up. There were more negatives than positives. This was not looking good and it seemed like I was destined to be a lifetime member of the "Grande Cinnamon Dolce Latte" Club. My dreams of breaking away from the corporate binds that tie were starting to fade with the morning sun.

Many times we find ourselves looking at something that promises to change our lives, even a little, but we quickly squash it when we realize just how difficult changing our lives will actually be to achieve.

Certainly for some people, driving up to the free standing box and screaming an order for coffee is a "fine and dandy" existence.

There are others, that wish there was an alternative but balk at the fact that the alternative will take dedication, time, and commitment.

Still there are others that have the DESIRE to break out of the "norm" and just go for it! These are the ones that are willing to take the steps to make that dedication, time, and commitment matter most and achieved the Desired Outcome.

Whether it is with a Kona plant or a new business venture or whatever they are going to make the time, put in the effort, and sustain that commitment to grow what needs to be grown. It can be a daunting task but if it is really worth the effort, none of that will matter. What will matter is that after careful thought, consideration, and a little planning the negatives were not so many and the positives, typically the end result, was far greater than anything else. This means that the desire to achieve the desired outcome is greater than everything else, especially the negative (or the downside of things).

Thus we can say when:

d + t + c >= D
...as dedication, time and commitment work together, in unison, and become greater than the DESIRE, then DESIRE is elevated to a greater status then, and only then, is the Desired Outcome achieved.

D → DO

What does this all mean?
It means that no matter what you this is easy or difficult is moot.

It means that ONLY through DEDICATION, TIME, & COMMITMENT can you achieve what you want. If what you want is that cup of fresh KONA coffee and you do not want to pay the corporate prices then time to pony up the D,T, and C.


I know I have to pony up as I pulled the trigger and ordered the Kona plants after I found the perfect spot to put all the plants that I will need in order to have several pots of coffee, (unfortunately) five years from now but it will be worth it.


As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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About Garage Sales and Selling

This morning (Saturday) as I was out and about doing the roadwork portion of my morning Physical Training (remember you can take the boy out of the Army but you can't take the Army out of the boy, but that's a different story) and I was watching those early birds start setting up their old stuff to be sold as new stuff to someone else.

There was this one Garage Sale that really caught my eye.


The lady seemed Gung-Ho about having the Garage Sale as she was putting stuff out on the table in their driveway. However, the business partner stood around with a scowl and not very inviting, not really happy about the situation. He was standing there with arms crossed and an "I dare you to stop and buy something" look on his face.

During my brief observation, I saw no less than 4 vehicles drive past that Garage Sale and stop at the next one, three houses down the street. There were kids outside playing, the sellers had smiles on their faces. It was inviting and open.

I understand that it was very early on a Saturday morning but seriously if you are going to commit an entire Saturday morning to the time honored tradition of the Garage Sale, then why not do the best you can? Why not commit to selling what you can to at least make the four or five hours you committed worth the time and effort (heck at least, make enough in sales to pay for Lunch).

Try this:
• Keep the scowl faced business partner (in this case: the husband) out of view of the buying public.
• If the husband insists on being out there, tell him to turn that frown upside down or SLAP a smile on his sour puss.
• No standing around with crossed arms
• No STANDING AROUND....Keep Moving
• SMILE...A LOT!!!!

Hey, why not try this in all parts of your personal and professional life?


As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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How Great Things Happen

While Steve Jobs may have said, "great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people."

I am by no means taking anything away from Steve Jobs but I want to expand and say (and I believe):

All Great Things Are Never Done By One Great Person, They Are Done By A Great Team Of Great People!


As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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About Mom & Pop Stores (small business) vs. Big Box Stores

Earlier today, I saw the image that accompanies this post and it got me thinking. While I do understand the reason behind supporting the Mom and Pop merchants. I wholeheartedly agree with buying local and how much sense it makes to support the small business, heck I am a small business. I want my company to be a big conglomerate one day and there is nothing wrong with shooting for the moon.

However, if my company or any other Mom and Pop operation makes it big and by big I mean HUGE!!! What then?

Will people forget that the now huge conglomerate was once a small Mom and Pop outfit?

I guarantee they will forget because instead of reveling in the success that Sam Walton had in taking the small store known as Walton's Five and Dime in Bentonville, Arkansas and turning it into the planet's 18th largest public corporation, they look at it as if it was Godzilla invading their hometown coming to squash the competition like little model cars.

The problem has nothing to do with the Big Box Stores and everything to do with the Mom and Pop stores. If they had a product and service that was better than anything any of the Big Box Stores could think of offering then people would gladly hand their money over to the Mom and Pop stores. However, just like you can't beat a dead horse you can't revive a business that has already decided that they can't compete against the big box stores.

So don't blame the Mega Marts of the world, you blame Walton's Five and Dime's competitors because if they had worked just that much harder, they would have been able to keep Walton in check and never gave the Five and Dime a chance to get off the ground, expand and grow into the mega mart it is today.

So to all you Mom and Pop organizations, my company included: You want to stay alive and compete with the Godzilla of your specific industry well then time to start leaving a big footprint. By Big Footprint, I mean do everything you can to become recognized in your field, in your industry.

Do what it takes to become known as the de facto go to company. Sure, the big company may have a large staff pool by which they can draw from but I guarantee all of that is moot.

They don't have what you have: (1) a lot less bureaucracy, (2) fewer middle managers, and (3) quicker access to the top. I promise that if you write me an email it will go directly to me and not some middle manager who may or may not have the authority to even reply to that email with a simple "Thanks for your email."

There it is, spelled out in black and white. The three things that will help you edge out your competition. Take those three items and exploit them to your advantage. Take advantage of those three facts and own them. Make them yours and your company's because they may be your company's saving grace.

Remember, people are not going to give you their hard earned money just because you are a Mom and Pop operation. You are going to have to take it from them in exchange for a quality product, a quality service, and above all a quality attitude.

What say you?


As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

I am reading a book that I was told many years ago I should read.  That book has been around for quite a while.  That book is “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.

“Think and Grow Rich” was written just as the great depression was coming to a close.  Actually, the first edition of “Think and Grow Rich” was released in March 1937. It is now 2012 and the world is coming out of another depression.  What a great time to read this book!

In the introduction, Napoleon Hill writes about what it takes for someone who just survived the greatest global depression ever known to thrive and become successful in the aftermath of the Great Depression.  It is now 2012, and things might not be as bad as they were, back in the 1930s, but they are bad nonetheless.  The advice that Napoleon Hill gives in this book is obviously timeless. Just read the book and you will clearly see that there are too many similarities between today and the late 1920s and 30s.

If you have read this book, then you know what I’m talking about.  Isn’t it about time you read it again?

If you have not read this book, do not let the title fool you.  While on the surface this book may be about how to get monetarily rich, the lessons taught in this book can be applied to just about anything you want to succeed in.

I should tell you now that I am not done with this book.  However, I will keep you posted on the progress and I will also drop in the nuggets that I come up with based on the content of reading.  This should be a lot of fun!

Remember the book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill (ISBN: 1-60459-187-0)

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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Caine's Arcade: Visions, Dreams & Passion

I may be 5 minutes late to this party but I am here, I like it, and I want a FUN PASS!!!

First off, if you have not seen this video you really need to check it out: CainesArcade.com

This kid is AWESOME!! This kid and his parents GET IT!!! You have an idea, a dream, a plan then act on it. Of course, there will be a lot of hard work. I like how Dad stayed in his office and let Caine do the work, it was Caine's idea, plan, and Caine acted on it!

Caine learned a lifetime of business lessons during the period mentioned in the video.

He learned about the power of rejection. When people said NO to playing at his arcade he didn't pick up his industrial strength packing tape dispenser and go home. He picked it up and added more games.

When the time came to make the sale, Caine gave the customer choices and sold the very first FUN PASS! FYI, the FUN PASS is worth 500 plays for $2.00, while for a buck you get only 4 plays.

Knowing fully well that he needed to protect his investment and protect the integrity of the Fun Pass, this 9 year old created a very unique PIN verification system using a plain old calculator (at every game).

I liked how the one and only customer bought into the Caine's Arcade idea and became Caine's Evangelist.

He told more than 20 people about this great and most unique Arcade. Using Social Media and word of mouth, the ensuing "flash mob" proved that if something is good and done for all the right reasons then it can work, it will succeed.

So Young and Old, Parent, Child, Male, Female...it doesn't matter! Caine proved that.

What does matter is if you have something that you truly believe in and have the drive and passion then bust out the Cardboard Boxes, Packing Tape, Scissors, and make your own Arcade.

Remember, the real prize is looking in the mirror and seeing yourself smile, knowing that you did something that made other people smile! That's a Very Good Thing! Great Job Caine!!!

...and Great Job to all the other Caines out there!!!

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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Sincerity (or the lack thereof)

A couple of weeks ago, I received a belated Birthday Greeting. No big deal, we all get them. Right?

What makes this belated Birthday Greeting different is that I received the greeting from someone who has given me no more than 50 words in the 45 days prior to the day the greeting was given. Ever being the gentleman, I said "Thank you" and tried to get a conversation going but short of acknowledging that the individual had a birthday coming up soon there was silence.

OK, I can deal with that, but it left me thinking if I was good enough to say "Happy belated Birthday" to but not good enough for anything else, then was the Belated Birthday Greeting really truly sincere and genuine or was it just someone going through the motions and trying to make themselves look like the "better person" in hopes of getting a Birthday Greeting when that individual's day came?

As my Grandfather used to tell me, "If you have nothing good to say, then don't say anything because otherwise they will see right through you, your lies, and then that just makes you a big buffoon."

I really miss my Grandfather, he was wise beyond his time, then again isn't that what grandfathers are for?

So needless to say, when the day came that individual was certainly out there fishing for some recognition and whether the individual deserved it or not, some people balked, gave in, and fed that individual Birthday wishes. However, all that individual got out of me was nothing but static...radio silence ...nada ...nichts ...nothing ...zilch. In the end, I took my Grandfather's advice.

If I was wrong by not recognizing the date, then I am wrong. I would know, to myself, that I did what I knew was right instead of being insincere and reveal myself as Grandfather would say; "a big buffoon."

What would you have done?

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About chopping wood and carrying water

Every once in a while I will post a reminder not only to myself but to everyone to remember to 'Chop Wood & Carry Water'!

What's so important about "chopping wood and carrying water"?

It is this simple: Chopping Wood and Carrying Water is about remembering to do the simple things while doing the right things.

Of Twinkies & Kodachrome

When I found out that Hostess had filed for Bankruptcy, I was floored. I never saw it coming. While there was some drums beating out in the distance warning that trouble was just ahead. I was looking into the forest waiting for a Tiger or Lion or heck, even, a Cougar to come charging at me as my eyes were solely focused on Kodak. I was waiting to see how things would shape up after the planned bankruptcy filing. Was the company going to be able to do something with what was left? Was the name Kodak to disappear off the face of the Earth forever?

Oh, please don't take my Kodachrome away :(

However, like a right cross to the jaw from Manny Pacquiao, I hit the mat when I heard Hostess, Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday, January 11, 2012. While it was good to hear that they would continue to keep making the Twinkies and Ho-Hos there was still something fundamentally wrong with the picture. The whole, big picture.

Somewhere, somehow, some one dropped the ball and are letting long standing icons of the US business landscape fall to the wayside. What were once icons of what is Great and Good in America are quickly joining the other once mighty corporate giants as the latest examples of "what not to do."

So Who Is To Blame?
We seek blame in everything that goes wrong. We look to point the finger at others. So who do we blame? The Corporate Officers? The Front Line Managers? The 9-5 Blue Collar Workers?

Let's blame the Customer - the Consumer?
OH NO, WE CAN'T DO THAT!!! Sure we can! We will blame ourselves! We know the products, the services, the name, the legacy, yet we, the Customer, are easily swayed by the shiny objects, especially when they are new.

So what's the big deal? It's no big deal to us, the Consumer. No big deal because we will move along to the next new, shiny object and be satiated until another new, shiny object captures our attention and we move along.

Well, why didn't Kodak or Hostess create and market a new, shiny object to draw us back in to the fold? One reason may be because they rested on their laurels with the old "We've been around forever and people like us, so we'll be around for a long time to come" way of thinking, believing, and acting.

Well, in an age where being healthy is King, there is no room for Twinkies, Ding-Dongs, or Ho-Hos. Is there a low-fat, low-carb, low-cholesterol alternative to the Twinkies?

We are also living in an age where content creation is the Supreme Allied Commander! What did Kodak do to keep its edge over the digital image creation competition (it's a rhetorical question)?

Yes, we can blame ourselves for the downfall of two great examples of American Free Enterprise. It's because they weren't willing to change with the times that we shifted our focus to something else.

AND TO THOSE THAT HAVE OUR ATTENTION NOW:
What are you doing NOW to ensure that we will like your next new, shiny object and not your competition's new, shiny object? WELL?

-Dave


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Deception, Diversion, & Division

Life Lesson 1012: Deception, Diversion, & Division is all around you.

The sooner you are able to recognize that while water on the surface may appear still and calm, just below the surface a tsunami is forming. Grow complacent and expect waters to run still, you will soon find yourself on a capsizing ship.

Stay Vigilant by being aware of your surroundings, keeping your eye on the big picture, and always be prepared for the unexpected, because, rest assured, the unexpected is exactly what you are going to get.


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