Xtraordinary Living Blog

The power of the Elbs

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:18:00 PDT

I was recently struggling with a task when I received a wonderful article. Rather than paraphrase it, I decided to post it here for your enjoyment. The article is by Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads. Hope you find it as useful as I did.

Makers of miracles have magical little helpers. Is there a miracle you'd like to make?

Would you like to learn the magic of the elbs?

Elbs are Exponential Little Bits, tiny but relentless changes that compound to make a miracle. The power of an elb lies not in its size, but in its daily occurrence. For an elb to work its Exponential magic, the Little Bit must happen every day... every day... every day.

Every day.

Funny thing... When daily progress meets with progress, it doesn't add, it multiplies. To harness the magic of Exponential Little Bits you must learn to ask yourself, "What difference have I made today?" And never go to sleep until you have done a Little Bit to move yourself closer to your goal. But you must do a Little Bit every day, no matter how tiny the thing might be.

Exponential Little Bits work both ways. They can lift you up or hold you down. There is much power in the ELBs.

Start with a dollar. Double it every day for just 20 days and you'll have 2,097,150 dollars. But if you diminish each day's total by just 10 percent (a Little Bit) before the next day's doubling, you'll amass only 793,564 dollars. Diminish each day's doubling by 35 percent and you'll have only 56,784 dollars - a holdback of 95.83 percent.

There's a line in Robert Frost's "Mending Wall" that says, "Something there is that doesn't love a wall, that wants it down! I could say 'Elves' to him, but it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather he said it for himself."

Is there a wall between you and your miracle?

I could say how to bring it down.

But I'd rather you said it for yourself.

Roy H. Williams

Free directory assistance calls from Google

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:32:00 PDT

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Here's a number worth putting in your cell phone, or your home phone speed dial: 1-800-goog411 (1-800-466-4411.) This is an awesome service from Google, and it's free -- great when you are driving on the road with no pen, pencil or paper handy.

Don't waste your money on information calls and don't waste your time manually dialing the number. I am driving along in my car and I need to call the golf course and I don't know the number. I hit the speed dial for information that I have programmed.

The voice at the other end says, "City & State." I say, " Garland , Texas ." He says, "Business, Name or Type of Service." I say, Firewheel Golf Course." He says, "Connecting" and Firewheel answers the phone. How great is that? This is nationwide and it is absolutely free!

Click on the link below and watch the short clip for a quick demonstration.

http://www.google.com/goog411

Amazing photography by Patrick Notly

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:10:38 PDT

Patrick Notly is a German photographer who happens to be Autistic. Below are some of his amazing pictures. I will be sharing more in the future. Enjoy!

Knowing vs. Doing

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 06:58:46 PDT

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People are always looking for knowledge and information when they first come to our courses. However there is a big difference between knowing something and doing it.

It can best be exemplified by this post by Dr. Robert Gilbert

There’s a big difference between having the knowledge and the application of it. There’s a big difference between knowing what to do and doing it. Once a teacher asked, "What is agriculture?" The student replied, "Agriculture is just like farming, but farming is doing it."

The speed of change

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:16:31 PDT

The world as we know it changing faster and faster and we can barely keep up with it. The following video shows some of the ways in which the world is accelerating. It is both very exciting and very scary.

Relativity

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Fri, 22 May 2009 07:00:05 PDT

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My teenage daughter is almost 16 and since she's had a driver's permit for the past five months, she would rather drive than ride her bike. I, on the other hand, am constantly looking for opportunities to ride my bike instead of driving my car - I'm getting ready for one of our upcoming Bike & Barge Learning Vacation trip to Holland where we will be riding an average of 30 miles/day. Everything is relative!

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You can't judge a book by its cover

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Sun, 17 May 2009 21:32:36 PDT

Click on this link to watch proof that you can get unexpected performances from unlikely sources. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Susan boyle, Xtraordinary Living, Amazing Performances, Xtraordinary Living, www.productivelearning.com, Rick Itzkowich

Podcast #53 - The Joy of Connecting

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:07:06 PDT

Our guest for this podcast episode is Bonnie Ross-Parker, CEO/Founder of The Joy of Connecting - Marketing With Heart. Bonnie's organization specializes in helping women in business through networking. As "America’s Connection Diva", Bonnie is an entrepreneur with a background in education, franchise development, publishing, network marketing and community development. She combines vision with a unique set of skills. Formerly the Associate Publisher of The Gazette Newspaper/Atlanta, she focuses her energies on supporting women.

In this episode, Bonnie shares her insights on:
-- Why she felt compelled to create a unique business networking model for women.
-- What sets The Joy of Connecting apart from other networking organizations like Chambers, BNIs or LeTips.
-- Why the monthly evening get together is considered an experience or an event rather than a meeting.
-- How Bonnie has successfully incorporated PL&L's QuoteActions, follow up and relationship building system, with over 300+ of her contacts.
-- How you can find a group in your city, or better yet, become a licensee of The Joy of Connecting for your area.

Bonnie shares a lot of valuable information. This is an excellent podcast to forward on to family members and friends. If you'd like to receive Bonnie's complimentary e-book "Y.O.U. Set a High Standard for Being Human" simply enter your name and email at her website listed below.

For more information and/or become a licensee, visit http://www.TheJoyofConnecting.com

AS A XTRAORDINARY LIVING PODCAST BONUS HOOT . . .
Check out Bonnie's husband, Phil Parker's book "Grandpa Does Grandma." http://www.grandpadoesgrandma.com.

After you listen to the podcast post your thoughts below. In addition, you can leave your feedback by phone. Simply call 1-800-609-9006 x3144 and record your comments and tell me what you think.

This episode is approximately 28 minutes long. To listen to it, click on the play button below:

Instead of listening to the podcast here, you may want to consider subscribing directly using your preferred podcasting tool (see below.) The benefit to you in doing this is that it frees you from being tethered to your computer. You now have the freedom to listen to it WHEN & WHERE you want to.

Subscribe:

Or copy and paste this URL into a podcasting tool:

http://www.switchpod.com/users/rickipll/feed.xml

Technorati Tags: Bonnie Ross Parker, The Joy of Connecting, TJOC, Networking, Rick Itzkowich, Xtraordinary Living, www.productivelearning.com, Rick Itzkowich

Four finger pianist

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Fri, 01 May 2009 09:28:06 PDT

Impressive mother/daughter duo

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How to fail successfully!

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:32:42 PDT

Excellent 30 second video to reframe failure.

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It's never too late

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:25:37 PDT

One of the few things I regret in my life is that I never fully went after my dream of playing professional baseball. I've always regretted this because I never knew what might have been had I gone after this dream. Well, after watching this short 3-minute video, I may finally have a chance to find out.

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Adversity creates heroes - Picaboo Street

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:59:22 PDT

Tiger Woods II? Kyle Lograsso is an amazing talent with an amazing story. Enjoy

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Practicing Silence

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:35:22 PDT

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Has your cell phone gone off at an inappropriate time? The following tip came from CoolPeopleCare. There's nothing more distracting than an ill-timed 10-second rendition of Fur Elise or Hakuna Matata. But how can you remember to turn your cell off when attending an important meeting, lecture or funeral?

The answer is PRACTICE.

Try it out. Walk in and out of your building 10 times tomorrow. (Yes, we're serious.) Each time, take your phone out and silence it before you take another step. Soon enough, you'll develop a very beneficial nervous habit. That way, the next time you're somewhere else (like a movie, wedding or trial), you won't be able to take another step until your mobile is quiet.

Podcast #52 - Moving from Scarcity to Abundance

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:42:23 PDT

Our Podcast #52 guest is a global business leader and educator. DC Cordova, CEO of Excellerated Business Schools for Entrepreneurs and the Money & You Program, joined me for the timely topic of creating abundance during turbulent times.

In our 52nd episode, we ask DC some key questions:
> What is global entrepreneurship?
> Why should even solo-preneurs or small business owners look global for new business?
> How would a business owner go about establishing international relationships?
> What are some ways people can deal with fear?
> Why creating the right mindset is the answer.
> What does social entrepreneurship mean?
> How can everyday people take steps to move forward in today’s economic climate?

After you listen to the podcast post your thoughts below. In addition, you can leave your feedback by phone. Simply call 1-800-609-9006 x3144 and record your comments and tell me what you think.

This episode is approximately 33 minutes long. To listen to it, click on the play button below:

Instead of listening to the podcast here, you may want to consider subscribing directly using your preferred podcasting tool (see below.) The benefit to you in doing this is that it frees you from being tethered to your computer. You now have the freedom to listen to it WHEN & WHERE you want to.

Subscribe:

Or copy and paste this URL into a podcasting tool:

http://www.switchpod.com/users/rickipll/feed.xml

Ready for an interesting challenge?

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:19:30 PST

Seeking to make some simple lifestyle changes by giving something away for 29 days, Cami Walker soon started a revolution. Check out the 29 day of giving challenge.

I've taken the challenge. Will you?

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Avoid using Cruise Control when driving in the rain

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:49:35 PST

Image by :: Wendy :: via Flickr

Living in San Diego, we seldom have to deal with driving in the rain. However I got this email today and it caught my attention because I have a teenage daughter who just started driving. It contains a piece of useful advice for driving in wet conditions. I checked it on Snopes.com and the information is accurate. The bottom line is that you should avoid using the cruise control mechanism when it is raining. If you would like to read the whole story here it is

A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore , Texas , she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining, though not excessively, when her cajr suddenly began to hydro-plane and literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!

When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he told her something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON . She thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain.

But the highway patrolman told her if the cruise control is on when your car begins to hydro-plane and your tires lose contact with the pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you take off like an airplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.

The patrolman said this warning should be listed, on the driver's seat sun-visor - NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET OR ICY, along with the airbag warning. We tell our teenagers to set the cruise control and drive a safe speed - but we don't tell them to use the cruise control only when the pavement is dry.

Yellow Pages go Green

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:50:08 PST

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As mobile technologies and digital communication become more and more a way of life, you may find your need for a giant phone book (yellow or white pages) waning. But, even if you've ditched the landline, you'll find that those heavy tomes still arrive like clockwork on your doorstep.

Stop the waste! Thanks to a grassroots movement known as Yellow Pages Goes Green , you can sign up and opt-out. You'll be happy knowing that you're keeping 19 million trees on the ground.

The power of connection

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 22:40:26 PST

I just received a message from someone who found out about QuoteActions. This message together with the short video on this post illustrate the power of connection and how the little things do matter.

To watch the 2 minute video, simply click on the image. Enjoy.

Hi Rick,
My son is 19 years old and has DOWN SYNDROME. He is employed part time at a local grocery store and I give him a thought for the day to give to co-workers and customers every day. Please watch this short video (click on the image) which is where I got the idea!

When.I saw this video, Zach & I decided we wanted to make a difference in people lives, even if it is in a simple way!

I will use some of the quotes you send my way for Zach to give to his Customers each day!!!

Three things you need to be successful

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:57:51 PST

If you do the following three things consistently you will have just about anything you wish to have. A word of caution: these three things are very SIMPLE yet not very EASY to do.

1) Do what you say you will do. No if's and's or but's. Just do it.
2) Always do your best. You don't have to BE the best. Just DO your best.
3) Be a pleasure to be around.

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Are you experiencing goal drift?

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:50:54 PST

We're more than a month into 2009. Here are three steps to get yourself re-focused and enlist your network to help you.

1. Review why your goal is worth working toward.
2. Think about what you will be missing if you fail to achieve your goal
2. Create a list of reasons and share it with a friend or colleague.

Thank you to Keith Ferrazzi for this post.

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Wisdom

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:09:09 PST

Click on this link to watch a short video

How small can you get?

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:18:20 PST

This short video proves that bigger is not always better! Enjoy.

Technorati Tags: Willard Wigan, Micro Sculpting, Xtraordinary Living, www.productivelearning.com, Rick Itzkowich

No arms. No legs. No Worries - Part III

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:42:16 PST

Nick Vujicic

Perspective.
Vision.
Choices.

Please watch Part I and Part II before you watch this video.

Technorati Tags: Nick Vujicic, Perspective, Vision, Choices, Inspiration, Xtraordinary Living, www.productivelearning.com, Rick Itzkowich

How to deal with self-destructive behavior of a loved one.

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:02:47 PST

I recently read this article by Joseph Grenny, Co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Crucial Conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high. It is one of the best pieces I've ever read regarding dealing with self-destructive behavior from a loved one. I only wish I had received this perspective years ago when I was dealing with a tough situation in my own family.

Situation

I come from a close family. We've all had decent jobs and live comfortable lifestyles. However, since my brother lost his job a few years ago, he and his wife chose to sell their home and keep their toys (expensive vehicles, camper, etc). They now live in my mom's rental and his new job does not provide a steady income.

Over the years we have given them plenty of financial advice; however, they've ignored most of it. They have used up their entire nest egg, live on credit cards, and are now sitting in huge debt. To help, my parents hand them cash or let them slide on rent.

The hardest part is they continue to attend every family event no matter the cost. As a family, we feel trapped - we wonder if we should stop doing nice activities so they won't spend money they don't have. But then we feel resentful because we wonder why we should go without when we've saved and worked hard.

Do we continue to let them tag along? Or, are we just enabling their behavior? Or, is this even any of our business? Do we downsize our activities to accommodate their bad financial management?

Sometimes the crucial part is knowing IF you should have the conversation! And if we should talk to them, what should we talk about?

Family Feud

Answer

Dear Family Feud,

Let me first share a crucial principle to follow when trying to positively influence family members.

When you have a sibling caught in self-destructive behavior, the biggest danger you face is slipping from conversing to controlling. Before you do anything, you must Start with Heart. Strip yourself of any motive to "fix" your brother -- or even your parents. When you can clearly see how people are either messing up their lives or enabling others to do the same, it's easy to confidently believe you know what needs to be done and that by talking about it you'll influence change. Talking isn't the same as influence.

The one source of influence that will provoke others to change is personal motivation -- an individual's innate, intrinsic reason for doing things. One of the deepest personal motives we all possess is the motivation to control our own lives. We respond immediately and viscerally to any attempt by others to take control away from us. In many ways, we are control freaks.

So, to positively influence your brother, never cross the line from conversing to controlling. You can tell you're crossing that line when you feel frustrated, when you lose your temper, when you nag, or when you manipulate. These actions will only provoke your brother's need for control in a way that makes it less likely he'll change. Oddly enough, when people have to choose between stopping a bad behavior that is ruining their life and demonstrating to manipulative friends that they are in control of their life -- they often choose the latter.

Now for a word of comfort. The world is perfectly designed to help people become personally motivated to stop self-destructive behaviors. It does this by punishing them. You take drugs, you'll eventually end up in a gutter. You spend foolishly, you'll end up hungry. One of the primary reasons people continue self-destructive habits is because well-intended friends interrupt their learning by removing negative consequences. These friends don't realize the tremendous damage they do by standing between people and the world's powerful educational consequences.

So, one of the best ways to positively influence your brother is to not stand in the way of his learning. Don't worry about speeding up change; just remove things that slow it down. Like your parents.

Now, everything above also applies to your attempts to influence your parents. Be sure you don't move from conversing to controlling their actions to help your brother. You can't change your parents. But you can get out of the way of the negative consequences they will naturally experience over time for their poor judgment with your brother.

So, here's the tactical advice. You need to do three things. Two of them are conversations and one of them is a decision.

1. Have a crucial conversation with your parents. Express support of their ultimate judgment about what they should do as parents, but likewise, express your concern that the unintended consequences are far worse than the short-term pain they are relieving. Do not become self-righteous or panic if they don't agree with you. Simply share your perspective, then promise to stay out of their business. However, offer your assistance should they want to talk about a different approach someday. You can be both honest and respectful of their agency.
2. Have a pattern conversation with your brother. You've already had the "content" conversation (financial management advice). Now it's time to have a conversation about the pattern of dependency on your parents and others. Assure him that you see him as an adult and have no desire to meddle in his affairs. Your goal in the conversation is to point out a pattern he may not have noticed. You may offer to change the cost of family activities if that would help him -- but only do so with his consent or you'll have crossed the line to controlling. End this conversation with an invitation to offer counsel and coaching if he ever wants it. Then promise to stay out of his business so long as he doesn't invite you in. Your new obligation is to let life do the teaching until he's ready for your support.
3. Decide how to organize your life so you can be happy. Now that you've discharged your ethical responsibility to your loved ones, set up boundaries so you can live a pleasant life. That may mean doing activities without your extended family so you won't feel resentful or tempted to limit your brother's spending by manipulating the agenda. Excuse yourself from conversations where you'll be tempted to intervene or offer judgments. Be sure you aren't using these boundaries as a way to punish him -- withholding friendship until he "changes." That, once again, would be a control tactic. Express your love, but do so from a distance that keeps you happy and not feeling emotionally entangled.

I know from personal experience that the greatest test of our emotional maturity is in our efforts to be a positive influence on errant family members. And yet, I also know that, done right, these sacred relationships give us the most ennobling opportunity to change the world for the better.

I wish you all the best as you influence your family for good.

Warmly,

Joseph Grenny

Your Emotional Intelligence Quiz

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:21:10 PST

Ran into this quiz that supposedly measures your EQ. I wouldn't derive too many conclusions from it, but it is still interesting to see. BTW, my EQ according to this quiz is 133. What's yours?

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