40 Reasons Why  The CEO Still Uses The Yellow Pages

1. The “Yellow Pages” have no room for comments
2. The “Yellow Pages” are easy to control (and they can be used to keep the door open)
3. They look good on the bookshelf ( and I have very nice bookshelves)
4. So what do you mean by “Kindle”?
5. You can stack “em” high
6. The grand children can use them for “Papier Mache”
7. Very hard to measure  “social” or “community”
8. It’s big and thick and comfortable (like my slippers)
9. You can recycle them (you can’t recycle bits and bytes)
10. Change is still a dirty word

This was a fun read. Try adding a few more reasons in the comments, then let's compare with Jeff's list.

“You will be what you will to be.”

~ James Allen

START SOWING!

You say to yourself, “I think I’ll go shopping,” – and you do. You say, “I think I’ll buy that new CD,” – and you do. You say, “I think I’ll put it on my credit card,” – and you do.

James Allen lived from 1864 until 1912. As was popular in the early 1900’s, he wrote a series of short essays known as pamphlets. The best known, “As A Man Thinketh,” was his most famous work. In it, he provided timeless inspiration on the value of thought as it motivates us to action.

In his pamphlet, Allen states that, “All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.” Speaking of mankind, he continues with, “They themselves are makers of themselves.” Thought precedes all action; thus, he reasons that by controlling our thoughts, we also control our destiny.

Notice in the first paragraph above that the “I think” part always seems to lead to the action of “doing.” Rarely do we hop in the car, drive aimlessly around, accidentally arrive at a music store, plunk down our credit card, and then say to ourself, “I think I’ll go shopping.”

If we are the sole controller of our thoughts, it stands to reason that we can also control our actions – and our outcomes in life. Our mind and our thoughts are the seedbed of our futures. What a novel thought. Plant some great thoughts in your mind. Do it today!

Make this a great week!

As we focus more on the business of social media, don’t lose the joy. How do you know if you’re doing social media wrong? If it’s not fun. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by social media responsibilities, reduce the scope and scale of your involvement until the joy returns.

Social media's not a product you foist on others, or some rigid business process that, if implemented, yields results. You shouldn't treat social media like a temporary advertising campaign. Social media is more organic than that. It's a way of thinking and approaching business that requires passion and commitment and, above all, willingness to participate in social spaces honestly and freely and by the rules of the social network itself. When someone ridicules your organization in the social space, unfiltered in real time, how do you react? If you are trying to control rather than participate in the discussion, then you're not living social. When your own employees talk about your organization on a social network what do you do?

I read this post from David Armano right after reading this twitter stream:

House for sale in Edmond, OK, .77 acres. $950,000 - 5BR/5+BA 5172sf
House for sale in Edmond, OK, former model home, courtyard. $799k - 4BR/4.5BA 4500sf
House for sale in Edmond, OK, Golf course/lake view. $659,900 - 3BR/3.5BA 3794sf
House for sale in Edmond, OK, front courtyard w/firepit. $489,900 - 3BR/2.5BA 2500sf
House for sale in Edmond, OK, Front Courtyard w/fireplace. $589,900 - 2BR/2.5BA 3073sf

Do you think I should forward Armano's article to the tweeter?

4,487 gurus in May 09. Today, 15,740!
via www.whatsnextblog.com

It really makes no sense.

Angels are impressive. Their appearance makes an impression. At least when they are in full uniform. They can show up, we hear, looking like regular people. Abraham, for example, didn’t know that his supper guests were more than wandering strangers. And if Abraham didn’t catch on, we have some excuse.

Other times, however, they show up at full volume. When that happens, people get scared. How do we know? Because they have to say, “don’t be afraid.” Over and over and over.

And on the morning we know as Christmas morning (though it may actually have been Easter morning, though Easter hadn’t been invented yet), angels in full floodlight mode showed up to say “don’t be afraid” to shepherds.

Shepherds. What a waste of heavenly wattage.

Shepherds were important because of what they produced. The sheep were used for food and for religious sacrifices. The demand for both kept them in business.

Their work, however, left them ceremonially unclean. As a result, they were like the church custodian whose work fixing the boiler leaves him too messy to walk into the sanctuary.

To give shepherds an important message makes about as much sense as telling the town gossip. No one would believe…

Wait a minute.

What if you wanted to get a message spread to as many people in as many classes of society as possible?

• Mightn’t you tell someone who has lots of connections, someone who no one trusts, exactly, but who many people will hear?
• Mightn’t you tell someone who would be so amazed at hearing a message from angels and finding it to be accurate that they told everyone?
• Mightn’t you tell people who told each other stories about the time that someone just like them had been picked to be a king. And not just any king, but The King?
• Mightn’t you tell someone who appreciated being told?

It does make sense, I suppose, as I think about it. But who would even stop to think about them?

Unless, of course, it was someone who had a weakness for shepherds. Someone who understood their compassion for lambs, their commitment in the face of weather and wildness, their willingness to do whatever. Someone who thought of himself as a shepherd of sorts. And who cared for sheep with that same intensity and willingness to endure almost anything. Someone who didn’t exactly care about being misunderstood.

Maybe shepherds do make sense to be the first evangelists in a word of mouth campaign about hope even for underdogs.

“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2

Happy Christmas.

Winter Tomato Soup

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I like tomato soup, but so many of the commercial canned soups fall woefully short. Here’s a recipe I use to make it from scratch. You’ll need a stick blender for best results.

Ingredients

• 3 large cans of tomatoes, crushed or diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil or 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Optional: 1 tbsp parmesan cheese

You’ll also need a large non-reactive pot.

Directions

1. Toss the garlic and onion into the pot with the oil (or butter). Cook until the garlic and onions start to caramelize.
2. Take about 8 tablespoons of tomatoes and liquid and put into the pot. Add the sugar. Stir with a spatula to deglaze the bottom of the pot.
3. Let the tomatoes cook until they start to caramelize. Turn down the heat to low and dump everything else into the pot all at once. Be careful of splashing.
4. With your stick blender, blend until everything is pulverized.
5. Cook slowly over low heat until the soup starts to bubble – probably about 15-20 minutes. You’ll want a lid or this will get very messy, very quickly. Don’t crank the heat – while it might get to simmering faster, the herbs will have no time to season the soup. Take it slow.
6. Blend one more time while bubbling. Be careful.

Serve hot. This will store well in the refrigerator for a few days but freezes very poorly. Enjoy however you consume tomato soup best.

With a grilled cheese sandwich... Yum!