FUN FIRST!

MONTHS

2010

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September

2009

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

2008

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

2007

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

2006

• October
• November
• December

JANUARY, 2007

•   New Year’s Day: Don’t make a resolution. Make yourself a promise. You are going to change the world this year. No self-absorbed, self-improvement resolving. You are going to transform the people in your life and transform yourself in the process. You are starting right now and you’re not going to quit.
•   Criticism is like vomit. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth; it makes a mess you have to clean up; and it’s proof that you’re not well. Step one in transforming the people in your life and your self in the process: Don’t be critical. Don’t speak it. Don’t think it. You may have to start small on this one. Aim for having a criticism free minute if that's what it takes to get started. When you find yourself being critical, remember that nasty post-vomit taste. If you can taste it every time you're being critical, your criticism should stop pretty quickly
•   Love is an action not a feeling
•   "I love being me!" Ok. Now repeat with feeling!
•   "Fun First!" Make this your motto. Be sure having fun has priority in your life. If you’re not having fun, you’re probably not being productive in things that are important to you."Fun First!" is not abdicating responsibility. It’s keeping yourself in a frame of mind so you can effectively meet your responsibilities. Drudgery is not a virtue.
•   Laughter is nourishment. If you’re not laughing a lot, you’re starving yourself to death
•   A kind word costs nothing but will enrich both giver and receiver.
•   Close your eyes and take a slow, deep breath. Keep deep breathing and think about the life giving air entering your lungs. Be grateful for each breath you draw. As long as you can draw a breath, you can change the world.
•   What’s the best thing anyone ever gave you (or did for you)? Can you give it to (or do it for) someone else?
• Pay an honest compliment to the next person you see. Tomorrow make it two people. Keep going till it’s everybody.
•   In math, two negatives make a positive. In people, two negatives make misery². Don’t be a part of that equation. Be a positive factor in all your relationships and your happiness will be exponential.
•   Don’t say "They should" ask "How can I?"
•   You are the only "you" the world is ever going to see. No one else has your exact composition of gifts. It’s important to realize no one else can replace you. Don’t shortchange the rest of us because you think you’ve got nothing unique to contribute.
•   MLK birthday: Dr. King had a dream and lived each day to make it happen. It was a big dream. He inspired many others to pursue his dream as well. Do you have a dream? Are you living like it’s important to you? Dream big and live accordingly.
•   Life is a bottle of fine wine. You can look forward to enjoying its richness or you can gripe about how hard it is to get out the cork.
•   "I am the Greatest!" So declared the boxer Muhammad Ali, whose 65th birthday is today. Ali was quick with his fists and his wit. You might say he was a braggart when he declared himself the greatest but it may actually have been a statement of fact. We may not be Ali or Michael Jordan but we still are called to be great. Mother Teresa said "we can't all do great things but we can do small things with great love." If we are doing everything with great love, then we are, in fact, doing great things. Be the Ali of everyday life.
•   In 1771, at the age of 65, Benjamin Franklin (his birthday was yesterday but Muhammad Ali knocked him out!!) began to write his autobiography. It's a great book with many insights into what it takes to make a successful life. It took him a while to complete it though because he got busy, what with the American Revolution, starting a new form of government, and all. While he clearly accomplished alot before the age of 65, what most of us know him for is what he did after becoming a "senior citizen". Approach life like you're Benjamin Franklin. Assume that your greatest work is being done today and into the future. What came before is just the foundation for today's transforming work.
•   Focusing on the positive characteristics you see in others makes you happier. Thinking about positive things is pleasurable.
•   Most mistakes aren’t fatal. Don’t let fear of making a mistake immobilize you. Take action. If it turns out to be a mistake, you can almost always correct it.
•   It’s called the "Acts" of the Apostles for a reason. It’s not the "Pious Holy Thoughts" of the Apostles. Christianity isn’t about what you think. It’s about what you do.
•   Name someone who made your life better. Write and tell them "thanks."
•   Don’t wait till you’re perfect to bring people God’s love. They can’t wait that long.
•   Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, life turns into a bar fight. Something smacks you hard from the blind side and you end up on the floor. The last thing you want to do is lie there wondering what happened. Get up and start fighting your way toward the exit.
•   Talk isn’t always cheap. Sometimes it can cost you a lot. Expending a few harsh words can wipe-out your investment in a relationship.
•   As I look out my office window, the sun is rising over the parking deck across the street. If the deck weren't there, I'd see the sun alot earlier. It's an obstruction. Anything in the way of you seeing the light of joy this morning? If you're patient, will the joy rise over the obstruction? Or do you have to move yourself so the obstruction is no longer in the way? Decide which course is correct for you.
•   A woman is like a Mozart symphony. Beautiful. Intelligent. Complex. Spirited. Fun. Be cultured enough to appreciate her.
•   I had a friend in college who was blind. She used to hold my arm when we walked down the crowded staircase after church. One night, on the way down, the lights went out. I said: "The lights are out. You’ll have to take over. I can’t see a thing." A change in circumstances immediately transformed the "helped" into the "helper". Don’t assume your role will always be the same.
•   Do the people you love know it? If not, it’s not love. It’s just a nice feeling you have about them.
•   Today is Jackie Robinson's birthday. Most people know he was the first black player to play major league baseball in the modern era. This was an historic achievement that took exceptional courage to accomplish and that's why he's in the history books. But what's often overlooked is the fact he was a great baseball player. It's easy to forget everything about him except that he was the guy who broke the color barrier in baseball. So, too with other people. We can lock onto what they're "famous" (or "infamous") for (making the most sales, having the nicest things, being late, etc.) and not see anything else about them. Let's make the effort to see beyond that one thing and appreciate the full breadth of other people's good qualities.