How Far Did You Walk/run?

So Kelly and I have been trying walk/run/bike more this year. Well, let me rephrase that, Kelly has a great track record of taking walks and runs. I have a slightly more vacant excercise chart. However, in the last month I have 4 runs, 1 bike ride, and several walks. We’ll see if I can keep it up. If you’re wondering what kind of walks/runs/bike rides are going on check out the links below. I think you’ll enjoy the program.

How did we know the exact mileage? Check out the website http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ and find out for yourself.

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Free 411 Calls

For those in the US, add this number to your speed dial

1-800-Free-411 (1-800-373-3411)

That’s right, free information calls. No more $2 charges on your phone bills. You do have to listen to a 10-15 second advert but it’s worth it.

Check ‘em out at www.free411.com

PS You probably don’t want to call 1-800-411-Free (it’s an adult phone site).

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A Lesson From Bobby Knight?

So I can’t say I’ve learned much from Bobby Knight, although one of my favorite moments in junior basketall can be attributed to him. My coach in 7th grade threw a chair across the court and was ejected - shocking but brilliant. I’m sure Coach Knight was a postitive influence to many players, fans, coaches, etc. I just wasn’t following close enough attention. That being said, today I read a note from Mark Cuban’s blog that is quite profound:

But thats not really what I appreciate most about you (referring to the NCAA win record).

When I was at Indiana you were on 60 Minutes. In your interview you said one single thing that I took to heart. I reminded myself of it while it was in school at Indiana. I reminded myself of it when I failed. I reminded myself of it before any of the many businesses I have started I will continue to remind myself before any of my endeavors going forward. Its also the best advice I’ve been able to give people of any age who ask me for advice.

Its also the characteristic I look for when choosing a partner or hiring. I saw it in Avery Johnson. Ive seen it in Phil Garvin. It was obvious in Todd Wagner and Martin Woodall and many, many others that have put me in a position to succeed.

You said, and Im paraphrasing: “Everyone has got the will to win, its only those with the will to prepare that do win”

Words for every athlete and those of us who partake in the Sport of Business to live by

Thanks Coach.

Mark Cuban’s Post

I need to write it out myself: Everyone has the will to win, it’s only those with the will to prepare that do win.

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Classic Startup Mistakes

After my time in Rye at The Putter I spent an afternoon in Oxford. By pure coincidence I walked into Said Business School and saw that Stewart Niblock, former EasyGroup entrepreneurer, was giving a talk entitled Classic Start-Up Mistakes.

It was very informational. I’ve posted some notes in a word document.

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Best Web 2.0 Acquisition Bait

Check out WIRED magazine’s recent top 10 web 2.0 acquisition bait.

Wired 15.01: START

1. FACEBOOK This social networking site is gaining on MySpace as the hipster destination. Reportedly, it spurned a $750 million offer in hopes of netting $2 billion.

2. DIGG Claiming 20 million users a month, Digg is the Mack Daddy of news filters. News Corp. is rumored to have flirted with a purchase, but Rupert rejected the reported $150 million asking price.

3. TECHMEME Think Google News for tech blogs. The well-trafficked aggregator also has drill-downs for gossip, politics, and baseball. A deep-pocketed owner could easily extend it to dozens of other niches.

4. WIKIPEDIA You know it. Heck, you prob-ably contribute to it. The crush of traffic would be a financial windfall for any buyer, but the site is famously independent. Founder Jimmy Wales won’t even accept banner ads.

5. ZILLOW Thanks to this real estate data hound, everyone can know what you paid for your house, give or take a few grand. Accuracy is questionable, but every savvy home buyer has the site bookmarked.

6. TECHNORATI How else do you find out what the blogosphere is saying? The site tracks 59.7 million blogs, a few of which might even be talking smack about you.

7. WORDPRESS The new de rigueur blog-management software, WordPress is favored by the majority of high-traffic posters. One caveat: It’s open source and unlikely to accept a corporate come-on.

8. FEEDBURNER Probably the largest, most reliable provider of RSS services, FeedBurner cleans up and reformats RSS for blog sites. It then channels the feeds to nearly 30 million subscribers.

9. 37SIGNALS With its vaunted collection of Web-based collaboration and shared productivity tools (to-do lists, calendars, and so forth), 37signals offers the most genuinely useful service here.

10. RIYA This photo-search engine’s signature site, like.com, helps shoppers find celebrity-look-alike fashions. Still in alpha, it might change the way we sort through images.

I’m familiar, and a user, of 7 of the top ten. I’ve heard of Riya and Wordpress but have not used either and I’ve never heard of Techmeme. I’ll have to check those out soon.

Kudos to Facebook though. I would agree that they are next up in the major web 2.0 acquisition game.

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Make It Beautiful

This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden and appeared on HomeWord’s daily devotional

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.—Psalm 139:13-16

In November of last year, a young girl named Courtney suddenly passed away a few days before her 20th birthday due to complications from a bone marrow transplant. I never met or knew this radiant young woman, but her story has touched me deeply. The family’s online journal tells a story of grief, confusion, courage and, above all, thankfulness, faith and love. Below is an excerpt Courtney’s mom wrote in the journal five days after, as she put it, her youngest daughter earned her wings.

“I have spent much of the past 24 hours looking back on Courtney’s life and the view of her life that I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of. As a very young girl, Courtney was really a Mama’s girl, always by my side - she truly was my baby…When I first learned that Courtney had cancer in Sept. 2000, I thought to myself, she is such a little girl - so fragile. I wasn’t sure that she could handle what she was about to be forced to. But I was wrong, she was so strong - she never asked why, she never felt sorry for herself - not in 2000 and not in 2006. She accepted her life and made it beautiful…As a mom, who is mourning her daughter, I know that Courtney would want me to pass along a few words of advice. Love your children (and family) like there is no tomorrow - hug them tighter, smile at them brighter and be sure to tell them you love them as often as you can.”

SOURCE: Family blog

Each person was made special, delicately woven by his or her Maker. God makes no mistake and knows the plans He has for us and our bodies. One of the beauties of this family’s journal is that they understand this. Courtney’s family knows that God has a plan for her even when her body, that He created, got too weak and sick to be here. The family misses her terribly, but they know she served God’s purpose on earth and they’re thankful for the gift of their time with her.

Courtney was a girl who never felt sorry for herself and accepted her life and made it beautiful. None of us has the promise of tomorrow. You do have this promise: You have a Maker who made no mistake in how He created you. He made you the right size, shape, temperament and personality. My suggestion? Make sure you are making your life beautiful using what God gave you, like Courtney did.

GOING DEEPER:
1. You have been given the exact right genetic make-up. How can you use what God has given you to make your life beautiful, no matter the circumstance?

2. Who in your life do you need to hug a little tighter?

FURTHER READING:
Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 4:13-14; James 4:14-15

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Free Hugs


This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden and appeared on HomeWord’s daily devotional Jan 4, 2007.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.—Colossians 3:23-24


In September of 2006, a video was released on the popular Internet site YouTube. The video took place in a walking mall in Sydney, Australia and showed a man, known as “Juan Mann,” holding a sign offering “Free Hugs.” As you watch the video, you see person after person walk by and ignore this hugger. In fact, at one point the police make him stop. People eventually warm up to the man and the video ends with many people approaching him for a hug. Months after the video’s release, nearly 7 million people have viewed it; all over the world, “Free Hug” campaigns are being held as a way to give a gift with no expectation in return.

Mann simply did this because he felt that sometimes people just need a hug to feel better. In fact, the first woman who stopped for a hug shared that that very morning, which was the year anniversary of her daughter’s death, her dog had died. All she needed this day when she felt so alone was a hug. And there was Mann to give it to her, freely.

I remember as a kid being challenged to do one nice thing for someone every day without expecting anything in return. Sometimes it is hard to do something for someone else unless you know you will get a “thank you” or a pat on the back or the favor returned. The Lord calls us to a different standard. We are to work with all our heart for an audience of one, God alone. We are not to work and toil for the approval or applause of man. We are to serve and give out of purity and thankfulness of heart.

What have you done lately for someone else without expectation of anything in return?

GOING DEEPER:
1. What can you do today for somebody else?

2. With whom do you work or interact who needs a hug in the form of grace or encouragement or understanding or help? Perhaps you should extend that to them this week.

FURTHER READING:
Leviticus 19:18; Proverbs 16:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:11

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