Xtraordinary Living Blog

The Power of Belief

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:43:00 -0700

This is a fabulous video from someone who embodies what it it means to live life with unlimited possibilities. Click here to watch it. Enjoy!

Getting visible online

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 09:00:00 -0700

Online Visibility is very important in this day and age. People need to know who you are before you can help them or do business with you. Getting your name in "the cloud" increases the odds that someone will first meet you virtually and then decide to contact you.

I was recently interviewed on the Real Coaching Radio-TV Network and here's an excerpt of this interview.

New Media Radio-TV - Broadcast your self LIVE

Can you do what Kan du does?

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:26:00 -0700

Here's a great story of people with vision and an animal that doesn't know it has any limitations. See this inspiring story of a dog named Kan-Du. Click on the image below to watch this 3-minute video.

Two stories - great connections

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:33:00 -0700

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed 'Easy Eddie.' He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.STORY NUMBER ONE

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but also, Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object.

And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong... Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.

He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al 'Scarface' Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great.
..
So, he testified.

Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read:

"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still."

STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare.

He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.

He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.

As he was returning to the mother ship he saw something that turned his blood cold: a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet. Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.

Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly.
Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.

Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-mounted camera on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet.

He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visit Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O'Hare was 'Easy Eddie's' son.

Tired of Rceiving Paper Phone Directories You Never Use?

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 21:50:00 -0800

Tired of receiving Yellow Page phone books that you never use? Stop the waste. Use this link to opt out - http://ntwrk.biz/yellowpage

World Statistics Updated in Real Time

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 9 Dec 2010 08:53:00 -0800

How many people were born and died in the past 24 hours? How many books have been published this year? This and many other world statistics are available here

World Digital Library

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 2 Dec 2010 15:36:00 -0800

This is an incredible free resource made available by the Library of Congress, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and partner libraries, archives, and educational and cultural institutions from the United States and around the world. The project brings together on a single website rare and unique documents – books, journals, manuscripts, maps, prints and photographs, films, and sound recordings – that tell the story of the world’s cultures. The site is intended for general users, students, teachers, and scholars.

Click here to enjoy this magnificent resource.

Powerful reminder for this Holiday season

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:57:00 -0800

This is an actual ad from Australia. If you have teenage kids - like I do - this would make a powerful reminder. Click here to watch this 5 minute video

The joy of living!

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 21:15:00 -0800

In this video, the oldest holocaust survivor shares her incredible passion for living. Having personally met Dr. Edie Eger who is also a holocaust survivor, I find it amazing that these two women can share so much love for life and people after what they've been through. This is a wonderful lesson of the human spirit. Enjoy!

Do you have a GPS in your car? Read this

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 20:13:00 -0700

Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station), so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone he knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage-door remote-control, some money and a GPS, which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.

When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen.

The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game... they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish, and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.

Blowing bubbles

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:32:00 -0700

Thank you to my client Lilly Emerson for sharing this with me. Some of my favorite diving experiences have been with dolphins, This short video shows another incredible demonstration of how intelligent and social dolphins are.

Click on the image below to watch it. Enjoy

The Pencil

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:02:00 -0700

A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked: 'Are you writing a story about what we've done? Is it a story about me?' His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson: I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.'

Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.
‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’
‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’

‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’

‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.

‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’

‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’

‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action’
source: “Like the Flowing River” by Paulo Coelho

Give up your birthday

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:02:00 -0700

Here's a new way to celebrate your birthday: Donate it! Helping others is one of the best ways I have found to feel good about me. How about using YOUR birthday to MAKE other people's day? Check this out. Type rest of the post here

God vs. Satan - What do you think?

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Fri, 9 Jul 2010 15:20:00 -0700

This is a humorous take on Creation

View more presentations from Rick Itzkowich.

Type rest of the post here

A new twist on starting your day on a positive note

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 8 Jul 2010 06:37:00 -0700

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog. I just saw this video and got inspired and had a big smile on my face. Enjoy!

The Most Efficient Form of Exercise I Know Of

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Fri, 28 May 2010 08:31:00 -0700

Here's an article that was written about me that will have you learn a few things about me.

Rick Itzkowich (at bat) was skeptical he could get great results in just 20 minutes, but during 11 years of training with The Perfect Workout, he's gained strength and saved time.

Rick Itzkowich loves the game of baseball. He's not only a huge fan (he's batted against professional pitching at the Dodgers fantasy camp), but he still plays in an adult league. He's the leadoff hitter, plays shortstop and is easily one of the fastest guys on the team.

That wouldn't be so unusual, except for the fact that Rick is 52 years old, and he plays in a 38-and-over division, where a lot of the guys are ten years younger than he is.

Not only that, but he snowboards, scuba dives, road bikes, and plays tennis. Somehow he fits all this in while acting as Vice President of Productive Learning & Leisure, LLC, a company he co-founded back in 1992.

What's the key to Rick's youthful exuberance? And how does he find time to stay in shape for all these activities?

Rick confesses, "I don't particularly like to exercise. I've always done the minimum weight lifting needed to enjoy the activities I do." The Perfect Workout sounded like the perfect fit, but Rick says, "I was skeptical. Not that I could do it, but that I'd get the results they claimed."

That was almost 11 years ago. Today he's still going strong at The Perfect Workout, and Rick figures he might be the longest running client.

The beauty of The Perfect Workout is that in two 20-minute sessions per week, you can increase strength, increase metabolism (burning more fat and calories all day long, and keeping you lean), and enjoy all your other activities more. As Rick has found out, everything is easier when you're maintaining your youthful strength.

Rick's main goal all along has been to maintain his athleticism as he gets older. "I'm not one of the fastest guys on my baseball team because I got faster, but because the rest of the guys got slower!"

Most people Rick's age have to watch what they eat and step up the exercise, and they still see a slowly deteriorating physical condition. Rick continues to eat the way he's always eaten, and participate in all the activities he's always done.

"It's all about spending the least amount of time possible and getting the results I want," says Rick. "I can work out as little as I do, and maintain what I have. It's the most efficient form of exercise I know of."

Efficient use of time is extremely important to Rick, because his other passion is the business he started 18 years ago, San Clemente-based Productive Learning & Leisure, LLC (www.ProductiveLearning.com). Productive Learning & Leisure (PL&L) is a privately held company that provides the tools and experiences to help people create an "extraordinary life" in a relaxed atmosphere of fun, sports and recreation.

"Adults learn the same way as kids," says Rick, "by doing and having fun!" PL&L offers personal growth seminars using a model based on the integral link between leisure, sports, adventure and life.

Rick has been teaching personal development seminars since 1980, and found that people approach business and personal situations in much the same way they address sports or any other "real life" challenge.

PL&L combines that approach with adventure travel, personal growth and new experiences. The net result is clients who feel refreshed, inspired, and better equipped to lead happier and more productive lives, both personally and in business.

Upcoming courses include "Producing Positive Change" here in Southern California, "Life Patterns Advanced" in Hawaii, "Learn to Learn" in Indonesia, and many others.

When he's not busy running PL&L, Rick is helping small businesses with a tool he developed called "QuoteActions" (www.QuoteActions.com). The QuoteActions program is a perfect tool for entrepreneurs, small business owners, sales reps and others who want an easy and inexpensive way to stay in front of clients and prospects.

It's a tool that was born out of necessity. Rick had a newsletter that was going out monthly to his clients, and realized how expensive and time-consuming it was to produce it.

QuoteActions is a simple, turn-key system that allows a business owner or sales rep to stay in front of prospects on a regular basis. It creates goodwill with those prospects, offers something of value, and ultimately, produces sales. Rick says it only takes 10-15 minutes to set up, and it's at a cost that every business can afford.

Whether it's staying in peak physical condition at age 52, or helping clients achieve more productive business and personal lives through Productive Learning & Leisure, LLC, or QuoteActions, Rick is one of the most positive, energetic, and fascinating guys you'll ever meet.

As Rick would tell you, it's a mindset. If you're a lifelong learner, action-oriented, and open to doing things a little differently than the masses, you'll be successful.

The taxi ride

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:53:00 -0700

My wife Jessica just sent me this email. I enjoyed it and thought you would too.

A Most beautiful story..............

I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi. I honked
but no one came out. I honked again, nothing. So I walked to the door
and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could
hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood
before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil
pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no
one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with
sheets..

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the
counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and
glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase
to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the cab.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I
just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother
treated'....
'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave
me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.
'Oh, I don't mind,' she said 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a
hospice'.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't
have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very
long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the
building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived
when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture
warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a
girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or
corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said,
'I'm tired. Let's go now'

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low
building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed
under a portico..

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were
solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been
expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman
was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.
'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me
tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said...

'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.
Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost
in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.
What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his
shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven
away?
On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more
important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what
others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY
WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might
as well dance.

How are you measuring success?

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:04:00 -0700

As I was cleaning up the clutter on my desktop, I came across the following article on Success. I can't remember where I saw it nor who wrote it. So my apologies to the author. If you read this and you wrote it - or know the person who wrote it - please let me know so that I can correctly attribute it. However, I do think that the piece contains some great thoughts and I wanted to share them with my readers. Please let me know your thoughts on success.

I’ve known men and women who measure success by their ability to attract the opposite sex. You’ve met these people, too, haven’t you?

Some people measure success by their ability to inflict pain in the lives of others. Bullies, vandals, website hackers, internet virus creators and bad policemen are tragic examples. The fact that they momentarily control our time, emotions and energy gives them a perverted sense of power. I know of no cure for this sickness.

And then there are the many who measure success by the acquisition of things that cost money. I think this definition covers most of us.

John Steinbeck gave us a way to identify the scoreboard we’re using to measure our success. All one needs to do is ask oneself, “What are my plans for the future?”

“A rich life is rich in plans. If they don't come off, they are still a little bit realized. If they do, they may be disappointing. That's why a trip described becomes better the greater the time between the trip and the telling. I believe too that if you can know a man's plans, you know more about him than you can in any other way."
– John Steinbeck, Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters

Today I submit these additional measurements of success for your consideration:

1. Am I sufficiently curious?
“Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”
– Albert Einstein

2. How little do I need to be happy?
“It is not the man who has little, but he who desires more, that is poor.”
- Seneca the younger, (3BC-65AD)

3. Have I proven that I care?
"That's the thing with handmade items. They still have the person's mark on them, and when you hold them, you feel less alone. This is why everyone who eats a Whopper leaves a little more depressed than they were when they came in. Nobody cooked that burger."
– Aimee Bender, from her short story, Tiger Mending

4. How many lives have I made better today?
“In a completely rational society, teachers would be at the tip of the pyramid, not near the bottom. In that society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers, and the rest of us would have to settle for something less. The job of passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor anyone could have.”
– Lee Iacocca, Where Have All the Leaders Gone? p. 217

Are you satisfied with the scoreboard you’ve been using to measure success? Remember, you alone get to choose. To measure success according to a scoreboard thrust upon you by another is tantamount to psychic slavery.

Don’t be anyone’s slave. Measure success by your own scoreboard. The point of today’s memo is to encourage you to choose your scoreboard consciously rather than unconsciously.

What Teachers Make

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:51:00 -0700

Please pass along to every teacher you know. They deserve to watch this.

a 3-minute inspirational break

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:19:00 -0700

Click on the image to enjoy this short movie that has some excellent quotes, beautiful pictures and uplifting music.

You can also click here to watch the movie

We won't get fooled again - or will we?

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Sat, 6 Mar 2010 07:35:00 -0800

If you're part of the Baby Boomer generation - or if you watched this year's half-time show during the Superbowl, you probably know who "The Who" are - sounds like an Abbott and Costello routine, doesn't it?

Anyway, one of their very popular songs contains the line "We won't get fooled again."

Wishful thinking - or youthful brashness?

My experience is that unfortunately we will get fooled again!

I did.

Thanks to one of my readers, I just found out that my post on Regina Brett's "45 life lessons" was written by her in 2006 when she turned 50 and not 90 as I wrote.

I didn't check my facts - and I know better! I first saw this article in a newsletter I received from a trusted colleague of mine. Because of this, it never dawned on me that there might be some inaccuracies. I'm sure that he felt the same way when he first saw the article. And so on. This is how Urban Legends start and grow.

Let's see how long until I get fooled again.

Wisdom from a 90 year old woman

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Fri, 5 Mar 2010 15:38:00 -0800

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column one more time."

1. Life isn't fair, but it is still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. Stay in touch...

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it come to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up your future.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone for everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life...Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside everyday. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Enjoy a very uplifting message from a young man

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:59:00 -0800

The boy singing in this video wrote and first sang this song when he was 13 years old (this was recorded almost seven years ago.) So much negative stuff has been written about the younger generation, that it is great when you see something as positive as this. Enjoy!

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Life can be very simple indeed

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:22:00 -0800

Linda Ellis has mastered the art of communicating the "Simple Truths of Life." Click on this link and enjoy this beautiful 3-minute video

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Give a dollar. Tell two people. Save many lives!

rick@productivelearning.com (Rick Itzkowich) — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 21:05:00 -0800

Back in 2007 I did a podcast with Azim Khamisa where he shared his remarkable story of how he turned a horrifying experience into a beautiful mission. Please read below and contribute your dollar as well as play the chain game. It is a very worthwhile cause.

Do YOU want to play the
TKF Chain Game?
Date:
January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010

Goal:
Raise awareness among 1 milllion people and reach $1 million to help fund TKF's effective violence prevention programs, evaluations and research.

Questions:
Email us at: info@tkf.org
View: www.stopkidsfromkillingkids.org

___________________________________________

Remember the Chain Game?
We need to start a chain reaction to save the
valuable lives of our youth– will you help?

16 young people are murdered on average each day in the
United States* to violence.
We are tired of the senseless violence against our youth;
they deserve more from us than this.

Please reach out and make a dollar donation, THEN ask two others to do the same and THEN have them
continue this chain reaction.

Together, with your help, we can reach our goal and create a
more peaceful existence for our youth and communities.

*Childrens Defense Fund- Oct 2007