Free For All Friday

T.G.I.F.

We're gonna work on it. Such a taste of fame are we getting, that we're starting to enjoy face time in front of the camera. This week's video is about 10 minutes, like last week's.

There's a saying about brevity though and, whatever the quote says, we're committed to it. Promise.

In the meantime make time for us today. We make some fun announcements about... winner of the Piggy Bank Challenge, Patchwork, Ikeasaurus, Taste of USA and a 4- week series we will be doing in August that you WON'T want to miss.

Strengthsfinder2.0 (by Tom Rath). Buy it. Code in the back of the book. Use the code to complete the questionnaire on-line. Rejoice over what you learn about yourself! Then, join Highlowaha FOUR Saturday's in the month of August to discover more about being your best YOU! Guest visitors joining us to share their expertise. A great investment!

Tomorrow is a fun-filled recap of our great adventure to Austin, compliments of Cheryl.

Signing off until then...

Let's Shop!

Let's play a game.  Open up the catalog of your choice and select the items you are most interested in receiving.  Shirt from Eddie Bauer? Work out clothes from Title 9?  Kitchen items from William Sonoma?  Furniture from Pottery Barn?  What's are your items of choice?

Now go one step further and order them.  

Here's a question... once your items are ordered, do you go back and re-order them?  Do you call back or revisit the website making sure it's really on the way and that they are really going to let you you own one?  No, probably not.  Once we place an order from a catalog, most of us probably trust we will receive what we've ordered.

Such is the case with the catalog of life.

When you close your eyes, what do you see?  What do you want?  Of all the things you could "order up" for yourself, what would you pick?  House with a stone fence?  A spot on a sunny beach or in sprawling meadow?  A healthy body crossing the finish line of a half-marathon?  Fame?  Fortune? A relationship?  A published book or other work of art?

Of all the things you could order from the Catalog of Life, what would they be? 

Of course the real trick when ordering from the Catalog of Life is believing, once you've placed your order, that those things will come your way.  You don't need to order twice or call back making sure your dreams and wishes are really on the way.  No, the policy for ordering from the Catalog of Life is really pretty simple.  Place your order and then put yourself in the position of receiving. 

Being in the position to receive requires some serious visualization.  

I want to write a book.

Once I place my order, I have literally visualize every step along the way.  I have to feel myself pressing down on my computer key board.  I have to picture the cover of the book and the title page, meetings with a publisher, seeing the book on a shelf, and signing my very first copy.  It is the strong and persistent visualization that eventually influences my behavior and ultimately draws me towards my goals. 

Vision Boards are a great activity to engage in with your friends, or family.  Collect clippings, photographs, words, sketches, receipts, and any other images you can gather to create a visual reminder of what you want from the Catalog of Life.  Glue, staple, pin, or decoupage them to something as simple as a bulletin board or as elaborate as an ornate picture frame.

Katie was nice enough to fast track her Vision Board, so I'd have something to share with you today.  Hers is mounted on a painter's canvas from Michaels. 

Once done, hang your vision board in a prominent place - a place you will pass multiple times each day.  Remind yourself of the order you've placed in the Catalog of Life, believe, visualize, and then get ready to receive.

Skeptical?

One quick story then I'm done.  In 1988 my good friend Dawn made me a Vision Board.  I had been talking on and on about sailing on Semester at Sea, a ship that travels around the world with college students in a semester.  She presented me with a teal colored piece of card stock.  In the center was a picture of the ship, smaller pictures representing each country on the itinerary, and the phrase, "Fall 1991" (the year I was to finish graduate school).  That simple Vision Board hung on my bathroom mirror from 1989 through my 101-day Semester at Sea voyage in the Fall of 1991. 

It worked for me and it can work for you too!

So tell us, what will you put on your vision board.  And, if you're really motivated send us an photo of your finished board, whenever it's done, and earn a Patchwork patch! 

Signing off until tomorrow....  Song compliments of Katie...  song of the day...

Whack on the Side of the Head Wednesday: Changing of the Guard

von Oech is out.  Edison is in.

Long time readers know we have spent the last year in partnership with Roger von Oech, author of the, Creative Whack Pack.  He presents a creative principle, tells a short story, and then challenges us to apply his principle to our situation.  Works like a dream.  Love it.

But, I've decided it's time for a change.  I'm getting complacent and complacency is the death of creativity.  We're moving on.

Turns out Edison - Thomas, that is - is a perfect match for our community.  Why?  First of all he invented the light bulb and, as you know, we have a special thing for light bulbs here at Highlowaha (or at least one lightbulb).  Second, Edison was an inventive genius - owner of more than 1,000 patents in his 84 years of life.  I'd say his creativity, coupled with his connection to Ray, makes him worthy of bringing home to mom.

The 102 principles we'll be reviewing over the next months (even years) are provided by Alan Axelrod, author of, "Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond." 

1.  "Experiment with Everything: All of us experiment all of the time - we just don't think of it in such formal terms.  Experimentation is, in fact our natural way of being in the world.  You can make it more conscious and deliberate by thinking in terms of experimentation, writing down what you try, observing the results, and keeping a record of those results.  At its most basic, experimentation is nothing more than trial, observation, evaluation, and recording.  And no subject is too trivial a candidate for experimentation.  Once acquired, the experimental habit will carry into all aspects of life, including the portion of living devoted to making a living."

A timely principle, don't you think?  This week we are talking about New Year's resolutions, how much progress we've made, and the obstacles that get in our way.

Principle applied:  Consider the past six months an experiment, regardless of whether or not you've made progress on your resolution.  Experimentation (trial), writing down what you try (observation), observing results (evaluation), and keeping a record of results (recording).

No topic too trivial?  Really?

Let's see.

Why am I incapable of doing my part in preparing varied and well balanced meals for my kids, as promised in my New Year's resolution?

• Trial: Beyond setting the resolution and connecting with an "accountability partner," I haven't tried squat.
  
• Observation: Inaction doesn't work.  Ambivalence about cooking is no motivator.
  
• Evaluation: No plan for meals going into the week makes me reactive not proactive.  Weeks are busy and, ultimately, I default to the same marginally balanced meals.  We make time for those things we are either good at or enjoy. 
  
• Recording: Quality/variety of meals = O change;  100% still a slacker; 100% intent on turning it around in the next six months (partly, so I don't have to contend with Sting Ray).  
  

Your turn.  Tell me about your New Year's Resolution Experiment.  Trial, Observation, Evaluation, Recording.  Progress or no progress, it's all part of your grand experiment.

Signing off until tomorrow...

Psst...

I'm back!  Stingray - your biggest nightmare - here.

Claudia spends yesterday talking some mumbo-jumbo about the glass being half full or half empty.  Enter even more psycho-babble when suddenly we're talking about circumstances of the glass and from where in hell the drink even came.  If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, did it make a noise?  PPPP-leeease!

Let me clarify... the drink isn't mystical or magical.  It wasn't retrieved from the Fountain of Youth and it wasn't served on a silver platter by a tall skinny guy in tuxedo.  But, it also wasn't my pee.  Render yourself lucky. 

Here's what I know.  We're half way through the year and most of you have done squat about your new year's resolutions.  Or, you've made some pathetic effort, but you started seven minutes ago and you'll be out of steam again by the time I say, "Monkey's Uncle."

Get off your duff.  

You could curl up in the fetal position crying "Woe is me" or you could wake up, face the music and realize you have 176 days left to make that damn goal of yours happen.   What's it gonna be?  Lose a few pounds, save some cash, organize that mess of yours or listen to me ride your @$$ come January 1? 

And... if you wanna talk psycho-babble, they say the first step to solving your problem is admitting you have one.  So what is it?  

Breakfast of Champions

Half empty or half full?

Bummer, it's raining. But wait... mother earth needs water!

Ugh, I didn't do a stitch of laundry this weekend. But wait... I spent a fun-filled weekend with family, friends, and meeting long-time loyal reader, Chaotic (pictures of our road trip featured this Saturday).

I'm sad. Having my parents visit a few weekends ago reminded me of how much I miss seeing them. It's true, though. I am lucky to have loving, thoughtful, proud parents who are healthy and in their eighties.

The glass of orange juice pictured above hangs in my kitchen. It is a daily reminder to me and my boys that each morning we get to choose our outlook on the day.

Is the glass half empty? Or, is it half full? We decide.

Daddy won't let you eat the whole donut for dessert? Guess what? Tomorrow morning, as your eating the other half, life is going to be looking pretty good.

Zachary made fun of you for being short? The closer you are to the ground, the faster you run!

You'll be out of town the weekend of Caleb's Pump It Up birthday party? Think of the fun our family is going to have visiting Sea World.

Half empty or half full? We decide, whether we're 5, 15, 24, 44, 57, 77, 95, or 105.

Today's Monday - the day of the week that probably gets the worst rap. So tell us, is your glass half empty or half full? And... why?

Hope you had a great fourth. We did.

Signing off until tomorrow...

Psst...

DemocRAYcy here.

Before you head off for some Que and fireworks, let's take a moment to reflect.  Not on the usual freedom and prosperity and opportunity and land of milk and honey stuff.  Let's take a moment to marvel at how a bunch of 18th Century misfits decided (half drunk I would guess) to give Merry Ole England the finger.

What is it about the water over here that makes people want to completely rebel.  Nope, the rules don't apply to us.  We can do whatever we want.  We can have tea parties and revolutions.  We can have our own country, print our own money and create just about anything we need.  Creativity and freedom, that's what it's all about.  The freedom to create religions, wear purple boots and even invent the light bulb.  How's that for a shining example of creativity.  

Want another......Only in this country could a beer swilling, elk shooting, tiny-town mayor become Governor of Alaska and then actually believe that she was qualified to become President.  It's that give Merry Ole England the finger mentality that makes it possible.  Millions and millions of us running around giving people the finger.  It's truly contagious.  You know that experiment where they proved yawns are contagious.  Well you should try giving someone the finger.  Go on.  It's fun.  It's patriotic.  It's down right American.  Now see if the people around you are doing it to.  Even if they're not, I'll bet they want to.

Happy 4th of July people............by the way, you can't see my finger in the picture but....

Signing off until Monday...

Free For All Friday

T.G.I.F. Thanks for such great participation yesterday. After a random drawing from twenty-two submissions, the winning cookie cutter for July's celebration of National Ice Cream month is...

The 3-D airplane

(unless they don't have two cutters in stock and then

it will either be the vulture or the race car!

Now, settle in. Today's video is a touch longer than usual (but chock full of fun).

As promised, pictured below are the submissions by Heather, Cheryl, and Katie for the Fourth of July Bucket Challenge. Each woman was instructed to use the holiday bucket, found in the $1 bin at Target, to create her own holiday treat/decoration. Let me know which one you like most... Bucket #1, Bucket #2, or Bucket #3?

Signing off until tomorrow...