Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-08-28

August 28, 2011 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Twitter

MurphyConnections.com – Biology professor predicts excellent leaf color this fall – http://t.co/AmyNA4R #

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

August 24, 2011 by JD · 1 Comment
Filed under: Act On Your Dream, Apple Computer, Education, Good Advice, Inspirational, TED Talks

This is a very short post, because I just want to share this commencement address speech that Steve Jobs gave six years ago.

If you have already seen it, it’s worth watching, again.

If you’ve never seen it, here’s your opportunity to enjoy it for the first time.

I share several things with Steve.

I love Macintosh computers and the new iOS devices. They are all I use.

I have used death as an advisor for over 40 years.

I came close to dying and survived.

Now, I want to live, to embrace the people I love, and to enjoy this adventure we call life.

Act on your dream!

PS. One thing we do not share is his outstanding success and wealth. I’m still working on that. (grin)

Tags: commencement address, NeXT, Pixar, Stanford University, Steve Jobs

The power of gratitude

August 24, 2011 by JD · 3 Comments
Filed under: Inspirational, Musings, YouTube

About three weeks ago, I asked, “How do you start your day?”

I wrote about how I spend some time every morning, before I get out of bed, being grateful for the people, things, and circumstances in my life that have helped make me who I am today. This morning ritual has helped me truly appreciate the abundance in my life.

Today, my friend Michael S. Logan shared the following video on his Facebook profile. (Thanks, Michael!)

I wanted to share it with you, too, so here it is…

I’ve had a couple of people ask me how to feel grateful for the bad things that happen to us, and I don’t have an answer that satisfies everyone. For me, the bad things that I have endured have helped me find qualities and capabilities in me that I wasn’t aware of before the bad times. I find that to be something for which I’m grateful.

Some people “poo poo” this whole idea, and that’s okay. We have the freedom to approach life and living in ways that work for each of us, individually, and those approaches can be very different.

Being grateful works for me.

Thanks for taking the time to watch the video. I hope you find something of value in it for you.

All the best,

Tags: gratefulness, gratitude

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-08-21

August 21, 2011 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Twitter

New ways to share what is on Squidoo Marketing with social sites. http://t.co/fEqR2Os #
New ways to share items on MurphyConnections.com on social sites. http://t.co/nh5IzfN #
I am loving the cool weather we're having this week. I'm looking forward to fall. It's my reward for surviving another hot humid summer. #
New event on MurphyConnections.com – 11th Annual Heritage Walk and Festival – http://t.co/UCwYu5T #

Tags: tweets, Twitter

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-08-14

August 14, 2011 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Twitter

Checking out "The Pressley Girls sing Undone In Sorrow" on MurphyConnections.com: http://ning.it/qkpb0v #
If you meet anyone in person or online who refers to him/herself as a guru, run — do not walk — the other way and hold onto your wallet. #
New discussion on MurphyConnections.com – seeking reliable housecleaner – #MurphyNC – http://ning.it/oqqypb #
Good Moanin' Monday! The birds are still asleep, and I already beat 'em to two juicy worms. Time to rise and shine. Let's start this week! #
"Looking for active Zazzle affiliates for blog post quotes" on Squidoo Marketing: http://ning.it/rlJhej #

Tags: tweets, Twitter

SBI helps people build their own businesses without boundaries

August 13, 2011 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Act On Your Dream, Business, Promote Your Business, Site Build It

One of the things I love about owning an online marketing business is that I can work from the comfort of my home in the mountains of western North Carolina and can enjoy the beauty of nature that surrounds me. I’m located 100 miles from the nearest city and a dozen miles from the nearest town.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is about an hour’s drive away, and I’m surrounded by thousands of acres of the Nantahala National Forest. It’s a beautiful, peaceful place to live and I never want to move back to a big city.

I love my little slice of paradise.

I know someone who lives on an island in the pacific northwest who loves living in her small town, too. She is a professional writer and editor and she helps people from all around the world polish their books and other documents. She, too, works in the comfort of her own home. Her name is Audrey and here’s a little glimpse into her life:

We are just two of the tens of thousands of people around the world who are building our own businesses with the help of SBI and all the tools, training, and support that is included.

Want to read more? Here are some case studies of some of SBI’s customers and their stories.

Most of SBI’s customers are people with a dream of earning extra income or of replacing a full-time job, so they can live and work where it pleases them. Many are succeeding.

Congratulations, Audrey. Your hard work is paying off.

Act on your dream!

Tags: Business, case studies, editing, editor, SBI, Site Build It, Sitesell, writer

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-08-07

August 7, 2011 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Twitter

One of the voices in my head just updated my unauthorized autobiography at http://t.co/qEYC5Wh #
New discussion on MurphyConnections.com – Rumors Clothing is having a sale! http://ning.it/pyu0ut #

Tags: tweets, Twitter

How do you start your day?

August 5, 2011 by JD · 2 Comments
Filed under: Music, Musings, Self-Improvement

For most of my life, I was a night owl. I’d stay up until 2:00 or later reading or watching TV or doing something creative. Anything but sleeping!

No matter how tired I was in the evening, sometime around 11:00 PM or so, I’d “get my second wind” and then I’d be wide awake for the next few hours. It was always when I was the most creative. People were asleep, the house was quiet, and I could really concentrate on what I wanted to do.

I remember decades of dragging myself out of bed, rushing through breakfast, and fighting traffic to get to work. I was always running late. In fact, when I was teaching college computer courses, I abhored morning classes. When I had my choice, I didn’t schedule a class before 10:00 in the morning, and tried to persuade the powers that be that all computer classes should be taught from midnight until 4:00 AM, because that’s when the best programmers were wide awake. One of my students, who was taking one of the rare early morning classes I taught, started referring to me, even to my face, as “the late Mr. Dilbeck.”

I hated the start of those days. It didn’t matter if I were teaching, programming, or working at a job. I hated early morning and I was always tired. That’s one of the reasons I registered need-sleep.com as my first domain.

So, eventually I changed it. Now, every day is a joyful adventure.

Now, when I get sleepy (afternoon, evening, night), I go to sleep. Sometimes I sleep for an hour or two, sometimes all night. Unless I have an appointment, I never set an alarm. I wake up when I’m rested. Most days, that’s between 4:00 and 5:00 in the (not quite) morning.

Two things helped me change. I got rid of my TV. I no longer feel the need to watch the news and then the Tonight Show, and whatever comes after it. I also threw away my alarm clock. Now I sleep on my own schedule. If I have an important appointment, I set my iPod to alarm two hours before when I have to be there.

Now, most days — almost all of them — I wake up and lie in bed while I think of at least five things (usually more) for which I am grateful. It can be people, things, activities, circumstances, or whatever comes to mind. I take a few minutes and really think about them, picture them in my mind, and immerse myself in being grateful that they are a part of my life.

One person in particular is always the first on my “gratitude list” and then other things just seem to pop into my consciousness. Several of my friends jump onto that list every morning. Often, music is in that list. There are many others that take their place now and then.

So, I lie there and appreciate each of them, in turn.

I find that an “attitude of gratitude” is a much better way to start the day than being tired, rushed, and late.

I almost always wake up several hours before I have to be somewhere or do something, so that gives me time to do what I want.

When I get out of bed, I fire up my computer, launch iTunes, and crank up the music. I dance (still not very well) around the kitchen while I’m making coffee and breakfast, and sing along with the songs.

Those two activities help me start every day on a positive note and help me build my energy so that I feel great when I sit down at the computer and start working.

Of course, I don’t have to face a morning commute or everything that is involved in waking other people up and getting everyone off to where they need to be. I live alone and work at home. Without a doubt, that makes my life much less stressful than it once was.

While I recognize this morning routine won’t work for everyone, it works very well for me.

I’m not trying to persuade you to adopt my habits, I’m just sharing with you.

So, how do you start your day?

Are you satisfied with it — or not?

Why?

Act on your dream!

Tags: gratitude, morning, music, sleep, work