Tuesday, June 29, 2010
thought for the day
It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy of life lies in having no goal to reach.--Benjamin E. Mays
Friday, June 18, 2010
thought for the day
I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. Jimmy Dean
Friday, June 11, 2010
Coach John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010)
Any follower of the ‘thought for the day’ will certainly know my admiration for Coach John Wooden. I have shared many of his quotes - most of which came from books he has written or books about him. I remember those wonderful basketball teams of the past. I remember the amazing success.
After I met Coach Wooden, I realized how he was so much more that a basketball coach. His life story unfolded to me in the many books by and about him that I have read since then.
Two of my favorites are linked here: Wooden favorite number one Wooden favorite number two
If there ever was anyone who should be emulated in this day and age, who should be a hero, it was Coach John Wooden.
RIP.
May your 2010 be a 10!
Tom
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He was a coach when coaching meant something else, long before the job became a pathway to riches and fame. A coach when student athletes were really students, and the thought of making millions of dollars rolling out basketballs in the gym seemed preposterous.
A coach when it meant more to mold the lives of young men than to proclaim his own greatness. A coach who offered a new life lesson to his charges almost every day.
"Learn as if you were going to live forever," he would tell his players. "Live as if you were going to die tomorrow."
John Wooden didn't live forever. His tomorrow finally came Friday, when he quietly passed away just months before his 100th birthday.
The end came, fittingly enough, on the same UCLA campus where he tutored a player then known as Lew Alcindor. The same place he seemingly couldn't lose with Bill Walton. The place where he dispensed wisdom that his players remembered long after they had forgotten the X's and O's.
"What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player," he would say.
His players listened. How could they not when the man giving advice lived by the same code? He was born on a farm in Indiana without running water or electricity, and his values were as solid as the land his parents worked. He lived into a time he could never have imagined, but nothing changed.
The championships seemed to come as an annual rite of spring. There were 10 of them in all, an accomplishment so staggering that no other college coach will ever come close. The other statistics blurred together over time, but they won't be matched either.
Still, it wasn't the 88-game winning streak, the four 30-0 seasons or even the 38 straight NCAA tournament wins that defined the humble Midwesterner who ended up at UCLA almost by accident.
He had the best players. They came because of him, and they came in spite of him. Playing for Wooden, you see, was never easy. He was the boss, practices were brutal, and things were always done in his meticulous way. The players who bought in would one day become his lifetime friends. Those who didn't would never understand.
The first practice of every season began not with a midnight slam dunk contest, but a demonstration by Wooden on the proper way to put on shoes and socks. Wrinkles in the socks could lead to blisters, he explained, and blisters could lead to losing.
The fundamentals never went out of style, and Wooden never changed his approach. His players learned, and they grew. He taught them how to win, but he also taught them bigger things, like his belief that a life not lived for others is a life not lived well. He wouldn't accept less than their best effort both on and off the court, and that's
usually what he got.
"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but what you should have accomplished with your ability," Wooden would warn them.
Walton was one of those with ability, and tons of it. The redhead was one of the greatest college players ever and the bedrock of the UCLA team in the early '70s that won the 88 straight.
Walton was also very much an individual in a time of individualism. One day, during a break in the season, he showed up at practice with a wild, red beard, ready to play for a coach who didn't allow facial hair.
"It's my right," he told Wooden.
"That's good, Bill," Wooden replied. "I admire people who have strong beliefs and stick by them. We're going to miss you."
The beard, of course, went. And although Walton finally graduated and moved on, his friendship with his coach grew by the year.
It's been 35 years since Wooden watched his Bruins cut down the nets down one last time, then walked away while still at his peak. Yes, he was the "Wizard of Westwood" -- but he never made more than $32,500 and for years he mopped the floor himself before practice.
He never begrudged the coaches of today the millions they make, but making money wasn't why he got into coaching in the first place. He became a legend because of what his players did on the court, but to Wooden the victories were merely a byproduct of the life lessons that always came first.
Indeed, Wooden did what he preached, living his life for others. His style was authoritarian, but his players graduated and the messages sank in a lot more than they missed the mark. He encouraged them to take chances, urged them to be all they could be.
"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything," he would tell them. "I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."
Wooden didn't make many. He lived an impeccable life, devoid of scandal, still so in love with his wife, Nell, in the years after she died that he would write her a letter each month just as he had done while she was alive.
As word got out about his final hospitalization, students who hadn't even been born the last time he worked a game rallied on the UCLA campus in tribute. Words of tribute, meanwhile, began flowing the moment his death was announced.
But the words that matter most are the ones his players still remember. The same words they've passed on to their children and their children's children.
"Don't give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you," he told them.
As hard as it is to imagine, John Wooden is gone. His dreams, however, live on.
(The above article was written by Tim Dahlberg who is an Associated Press Sports Columnist dated June 5, 2010)
After I met Coach Wooden, I realized how he was so much more that a basketball coach. His life story unfolded to me in the many books by and about him that I have read since then.
Two of my favorites are linked here: Wooden favorite number one Wooden favorite number two
If there ever was anyone who should be emulated in this day and age, who should be a hero, it was Coach John Wooden.
RIP.
May your 2010 be a 10!
Tom
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He was a coach when coaching meant something else, long before the job became a pathway to riches and fame. A coach when student athletes were really students, and the thought of making millions of dollars rolling out basketballs in the gym seemed preposterous.
A coach when it meant more to mold the lives of young men than to proclaim his own greatness. A coach who offered a new life lesson to his charges almost every day.
"Learn as if you were going to live forever," he would tell his players. "Live as if you were going to die tomorrow."
John Wooden didn't live forever. His tomorrow finally came Friday, when he quietly passed away just months before his 100th birthday.
The end came, fittingly enough, on the same UCLA campus where he tutored a player then known as Lew Alcindor. The same place he seemingly couldn't lose with Bill Walton. The place where he dispensed wisdom that his players remembered long after they had forgotten the X's and O's.
"What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player," he would say.
His players listened. How could they not when the man giving advice lived by the same code? He was born on a farm in Indiana without running water or electricity, and his values were as solid as the land his parents worked. He lived into a time he could never have imagined, but nothing changed.
The championships seemed to come as an annual rite of spring. There were 10 of them in all, an accomplishment so staggering that no other college coach will ever come close. The other statistics blurred together over time, but they won't be matched either.
Still, it wasn't the 88-game winning streak, the four 30-0 seasons or even the 38 straight NCAA tournament wins that defined the humble Midwesterner who ended up at UCLA almost by accident.
He had the best players. They came because of him, and they came in spite of him. Playing for Wooden, you see, was never easy. He was the boss, practices were brutal, and things were always done in his meticulous way. The players who bought in would one day become his lifetime friends. Those who didn't would never understand.
The first practice of every season began not with a midnight slam dunk contest, but a demonstration by Wooden on the proper way to put on shoes and socks. Wrinkles in the socks could lead to blisters, he explained, and blisters could lead to losing.
The fundamentals never went out of style, and Wooden never changed his approach. His players learned, and they grew. He taught them how to win, but he also taught them bigger things, like his belief that a life not lived for others is a life not lived well. He wouldn't accept less than their best effort both on and off the court, and that's
usually what he got.
"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but what you should have accomplished with your ability," Wooden would warn them.
Walton was one of those with ability, and tons of it. The redhead was one of the greatest college players ever and the bedrock of the UCLA team in the early '70s that won the 88 straight.
Walton was also very much an individual in a time of individualism. One day, during a break in the season, he showed up at practice with a wild, red beard, ready to play for a coach who didn't allow facial hair.
"It's my right," he told Wooden.
"That's good, Bill," Wooden replied. "I admire people who have strong beliefs and stick by them. We're going to miss you."
The beard, of course, went. And although Walton finally graduated and moved on, his friendship with his coach grew by the year.
It's been 35 years since Wooden watched his Bruins cut down the nets down one last time, then walked away while still at his peak. Yes, he was the "Wizard of Westwood" -- but he never made more than $32,500 and for years he mopped the floor himself before practice.
He never begrudged the coaches of today the millions they make, but making money wasn't why he got into coaching in the first place. He became a legend because of what his players did on the court, but to Wooden the victories were merely a byproduct of the life lessons that always came first.
Indeed, Wooden did what he preached, living his life for others. His style was authoritarian, but his players graduated and the messages sank in a lot more than they missed the mark. He encouraged them to take chances, urged them to be all they could be.
"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything," he would tell them. "I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."
Wooden didn't make many. He lived an impeccable life, devoid of scandal, still so in love with his wife, Nell, in the years after she died that he would write her a letter each month just as he had done while she was alive.
As word got out about his final hospitalization, students who hadn't even been born the last time he worked a game rallied on the UCLA campus in tribute. Words of tribute, meanwhile, began flowing the moment his death was announced.
But the words that matter most are the ones his players still remember. The same words they've passed on to their children and their children's children.
"Don't give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you," he told them.
As hard as it is to imagine, John Wooden is gone. His dreams, however, live on.
(The above article was written by Tim Dahlberg who is an Associated Press Sports Columnist dated June 5, 2010)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
thought for the day
Everyone chooses one of two roads in life - the old and the young, the rich and the poor, men and women alike. One is the broad, well-traveled road to mediocrity, the other the road to greatness and meaning. But the contrast between the two destinations is as the night is to the day. Which road will you choose? Steven R. Covey
Saturday, June 5, 2010
John Wooden
“I had a very clear request of those I taught: give me complete commitment and total effort. An individual who is willing to deliver those two powerful assets to your team is a prized player whether he’s seven foot two or two foot seven. Many times I reminded those I coached, ‘I don’t care how tall you are. I care how tall you play.’” John Wooden The Essential Wooden RIP
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Who is on the road with you and what are they doing?
Non-scientific(?) but accurate study of driving/cell phone habits.
May 26th. 6 PM Orange county. Feeder street to major 4 lane street.
100 drivers observed.
8 were talking on cell phones while holding them in their hands.
1 lady was putting on her eye liner.
So, as you are driving around remember that eight percent of the cars going by or around you are using their cell phones NOT hands-free (as required by law). And one percent are distracted by makeup application.
Also…….remember that 50 percent of all drivers have Two-Digit IQs.
Yeah, I am feeling safe out there!!!
May your 2010 be a 10! And safe!
May 26th. 6 PM Orange county. Feeder street to major 4 lane street.
100 drivers observed.
8 were talking on cell phones while holding them in their hands.
1 lady was putting on her eye liner.
So, as you are driving around remember that eight percent of the cars going by or around you are using their cell phones NOT hands-free (as required by law). And one percent are distracted by makeup application.
Also…….remember that 50 percent of all drivers have Two-Digit IQs.
Yeah, I am feeling safe out there!!!
May your 2010 be a 10! And safe!
Being Prepared for the Coming Tough Times
Being Prepared for the Coming Tough Times
Bob Uda, PhD (ABD)
For savings accounts, when the stock market crashes and depositors make a rush on the banks to withdraw all of their money, the bank will close/lock their doors, and the late folks will not get any of their money. The Obama government will confiscate all of their money. For social security, the forecast is that the Social Security funds will be depleted in seven years. Hence, there will be no more social security checks after the economic collapse. The following list is how to prepare financially other than debt.
Do any combination of the following:
• Get totally out of debt.
• Operate on a budget.
• Work and earn money to your dying day.
• Get a fireproof safe to keep all of your valuables locked up. Save your money in your home safe.
• Don’t take on large purchases unless absolutely necessary.
• Convert up to 25% of your liquid assets into precious metals (gold and silver). However, this may become risky as the Obama government will confiscate all recently purchased gold owned by private citizens. This was done by FDR during the depression. Keep your gold in old/numismatic gold coins.
• Purchase insurances (home, car, life, disaster, liability, etc.). For life insurance, buy only term insurance and get as much of it as you can.
• Balance out your liquid assets among stocks, bonds, mutual funds, precious metals, and art objects. In other words, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
• Stock your cupboards with nonperishable foodstuffs. Rotate the usage of your food.
• Build up a year’s supply of food, clothing, fuel, and water. When there is no money or food on store shelves, you will be able to barter with your supply. Remember, when there is a rush on stores, all of the food on store shelves will be gone within three days with no replenishment possible.
• Never let your automobiles to go below ¼-tank of gas. Always have enough gas to get you to a safe haven.
• Obtain firearms and ammunition. Keep other weapons (knives, etc.).
• Grow and maintain a good vegetable garden. Plant fruit trees in your yard. Raise edible animals (fowl, rabbits, etc.).
• Learn how to get back to the earth by developing hunting, fishing, and foraging skills for edible fauna and flora.
• Develop new skills. Improve your education/knowledge. Learn about accounting, finance, economics, etc.). Be a lifelong learner. Study daily.
• Keep up daily with what’s going on in the world. Watch Fox News and listen to conservative talk radio. Listen to/watch the Glenn Beck Show daily.
• Read conservative online publications. You get only lies and disinformation from the mainstream media, which is now called the lame-stream or fringe media.
• Buy a good battery operated or hand-cranked radio to keep up with the news during major manmade or natural disasters/emergencies.
• Get a ham radio, become a certified operator, and learn how to use the ham radio.
• Own a cell phone.
• Maintain a good supply of flashlights, fresh batteries, matches, and candles.
• Prepare a 72-hour kit (one each for your car and home).
• Buy good first-aid kits for your home and car.
• Keep in good physical health with proper diet, exercise, and sleep. Keep/use a good supply of multiple vitamins, Omega-III fish oil tablets, prescription drugs, etc.
• Update your will and keep it current.
• Keep connected on the Internet with dependable family and friends.
• Join your Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and participate in its training programs and activities. Become qualified in basic first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
• Be constantly alert and vigilant.
If you do all of those things listed above that is appropriate for you, you will be able to deal with any economic crash, terrorist attacks, and/or all major natural/manmade disasters. Be prepared to help and assist those who didn't bother to get prepared. Good luck!
Remember: 86% of all couples age 65 and older will need nursing type care in their lifetime. This can have the most devastating effect on your retirement portfolio. With costs running over $6000 a month for care (average care term is just under three years) the need for Long Term Care insurance has never been more critical.
Bob Uda, PhD (ABD)
For savings accounts, when the stock market crashes and depositors make a rush on the banks to withdraw all of their money, the bank will close/lock their doors, and the late folks will not get any of their money. The Obama government will confiscate all of their money. For social security, the forecast is that the Social Security funds will be depleted in seven years. Hence, there will be no more social security checks after the economic collapse. The following list is how to prepare financially other than debt.
Do any combination of the following:
• Get totally out of debt.
• Operate on a budget.
• Work and earn money to your dying day.
• Get a fireproof safe to keep all of your valuables locked up. Save your money in your home safe.
• Don’t take on large purchases unless absolutely necessary.
• Convert up to 25% of your liquid assets into precious metals (gold and silver). However, this may become risky as the Obama government will confiscate all recently purchased gold owned by private citizens. This was done by FDR during the depression. Keep your gold in old/numismatic gold coins.
• Purchase insurances (home, car, life, disaster, liability, etc.). For life insurance, buy only term insurance and get as much of it as you can.
• Balance out your liquid assets among stocks, bonds, mutual funds, precious metals, and art objects. In other words, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
• Stock your cupboards with nonperishable foodstuffs. Rotate the usage of your food.
• Build up a year’s supply of food, clothing, fuel, and water. When there is no money or food on store shelves, you will be able to barter with your supply. Remember, when there is a rush on stores, all of the food on store shelves will be gone within three days with no replenishment possible.
• Never let your automobiles to go below ¼-tank of gas. Always have enough gas to get you to a safe haven.
• Obtain firearms and ammunition. Keep other weapons (knives, etc.).
• Grow and maintain a good vegetable garden. Plant fruit trees in your yard. Raise edible animals (fowl, rabbits, etc.).
• Learn how to get back to the earth by developing hunting, fishing, and foraging skills for edible fauna and flora.
• Develop new skills. Improve your education/knowledge. Learn about accounting, finance, economics, etc.). Be a lifelong learner. Study daily.
• Keep up daily with what’s going on in the world. Watch Fox News and listen to conservative talk radio. Listen to/watch the Glenn Beck Show daily.
• Read conservative online publications. You get only lies and disinformation from the mainstream media, which is now called the lame-stream or fringe media.
• Buy a good battery operated or hand-cranked radio to keep up with the news during major manmade or natural disasters/emergencies.
• Get a ham radio, become a certified operator, and learn how to use the ham radio.
• Own a cell phone.
• Maintain a good supply of flashlights, fresh batteries, matches, and candles.
• Prepare a 72-hour kit (one each for your car and home).
• Buy good first-aid kits for your home and car.
• Keep in good physical health with proper diet, exercise, and sleep. Keep/use a good supply of multiple vitamins, Omega-III fish oil tablets, prescription drugs, etc.
• Update your will and keep it current.
• Keep connected on the Internet with dependable family and friends.
• Join your Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and participate in its training programs and activities. Become qualified in basic first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
• Be constantly alert and vigilant.
If you do all of those things listed above that is appropriate for you, you will be able to deal with any economic crash, terrorist attacks, and/or all major natural/manmade disasters. Be prepared to help and assist those who didn't bother to get prepared. Good luck!
Remember: 86% of all couples age 65 and older will need nursing type care in their lifetime. This can have the most devastating effect on your retirement portfolio. With costs running over $6000 a month for care (average care term is just under three years) the need for Long Term Care insurance has never been more critical.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
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