Winners drive home in the dark...

Neil Boortz, Commencement Speech:

• Don't look in other people's pockets. You have no business there. What they earn is theirs. What you earn is yours. Keep it that way. Nobody owes you anything, except to respect your privacy and your rights, and leave you the hell alone.

• Speaking of earning, the revered 40-hour workweek is for losers. Forty hours should be considered the minimum, not the maximum. You don't see highly successful people clocking out of the office every afternoon at five. The losers are the ones caught up in that afternoon rush hour. The winners drive home in the dark.

• Free speech is meant to protect unpopular speech. Popular speech, by definition, needs no protection.

Finally (and aren't you glad to hear that word), as Og Mandino wrote:

1. Proclaim your rarity. Each of you is a rare and unique human being.
2. Use wisely your power of choice.
3. Go the extra mile .. drive home in the dark.

Read the entire speech here

Quoteables

"I can live two months on a good compliment" -Mark Twain

"You can't stay mad at somebody who that makes you laugh" -Jay Leno

"You are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long" -Psalm 25

Be like an old oak tree...

Have you ever planted a tree? I have…lots of em.’ When a tree comes from the nursery it is “balled and burlaped.” The roots are wrapped to protect them until the tree gets planted. Imagine what would happen if the burlap never came off of the rootball. Would the tree grow strong and healthy? Nope. In fact, it would die. The roots would get so confined that the tree would actually kill itself. Just because it is a tree doesn’t automatically mean it can grow. It needs water, sunlight, and space to thrive in.

Now you may be wondering why I’m giving you a tree planting lesson. I don’t expect many of you plant trees on a regular basis but the question I have for you is: are you in a place where you can grow?

You might be okay right now at the nursery wrapped in your protective burlap but what will happen in two years if you haven’t planted yourself somewhere? What will happen in five years if you are still wrapped in the burlap and you haven’t grown in stature, wisdom or other things of the Lord? What will happen if you manage to plant yourself but don’t get any sunlight, water or space?

Be like an old oak tree; never stop growing.

Here are three practical suggestions:

1. Put yourself in places where you can grow. Sitting at home watching sitcoms doesn’t cut it.
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of areas in your life you need to grow in. Ask for humility while working on these areas.
3. Talk to a close friend and ask them what your weakest character trait is. Work on it.

Change?

Springs Starbucks Safe

For all you coffee lovers out there...

"Starbucks officials released a list yesterday of 600 underperforming U.S. stores the company planned to close in order to save money, and it appears that all Colorado Springs locations will remain open.

However, nine stores in Colorado will close – three in Denver, two in Loveland and single stores in Longmont, Lakewood, Broomfield and Conifer.

No specific closing date has been announced, but the company said many will start closing this month.

The shutdowns will continue through the first half of 2009" -CSBJ Daily

Talented Niece

I just had to post this one of my niece Madelyn...

Stop. And Look Up.

One looks and sees. One stops and ponders. One pauses and reflects. Do you ever wonder?

Wonder of the majesty and grander of creation? I do. Think about the grander of the stars. There are literally billions upon billions of them…wow. Laying beneath a sky filled with stars on a cool summer’s night is an unforgettable experience. On a dark night away from city lights, one can almost reach up and touch them as they stretch from horizon to horizon. I never tire of the splendor of stars…

Hail Storm

My run tonight was rained out...or should I say hailed out. Some of the hail was over 1" in diameter!