5/1/08

Hello again to my friends, family, colleagues, and clients. Many of you know me personally through work, networking or through one of my speaking engagements related to sales skills, professional networking and personal development; and some of you may know me only by email and telephone. Welcome to everyone that’s new to this distribution list.

There are a lot of very smart and interesting people that I am fortunate to network with. We share books, movies, music and ideas that stimulate us. I'm always interested to learn what other people that I respect are reading, watching and listening to. This is my monthly email newsletter with books I’ve recently read, movies seen, music devoured, ideas and other things that may be of interest to you. If you find this interesting and would like to pass it on, please feel free to do so. If you’d like to be removed from this list just let me know. If someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you would like to be added to this distribution list or if you’d like to view previous newsletters, please email me and let me know.

A number of people have asked that I insert an announcement indicating whether I have any upcoming speaking engagements that are open to the public. I do have a few public speaking engagements this month in Colorado. If you have an interest in dates, times and speaking topics, please let me know.

I hope that you had a great Memorial Day Weekend and that your summer is off to a wonderful start! Can you believe that we’re in June already? Wasn’t it just New Year’s Eve?!

TWO BOOKS TO PUT ON YOUR MUST READ LIST

The Power of Kindness-(The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life)- Piero Ferrucci
In today’s ultra-hectic world, you don’t often hear about kindness, and certainly not very often through the traditional media. Ferrucci is an Italian psychotherapist that has a gift when it comes to expressing profound truths in layman’s terms. He takes the concept of kindness and elaborates on 18 unexpected benefits that are associated with cultivating the very important habit of kindness. Here are a few quotes from this amazing book:
“It is so elementary: If we relate better to others, we feel better. Kindness, as we will see, has many facets. But its essence is as simple as can be. We will find kindness is a way of making less effort. It is the most economic attitude there is, because it saves us much energy that we might otherwise waste in suspicion, worry, resentment, manipulation, or unnecessary defense. It is an attitude that, by eliminating the inessential, brings us back to the simplicity of being.”
“There are infinite ways, implicit or explicit, microscopic or gigantic, episodic or lasting, superficial or substantial, of bringing into the life of another person some benefit, relief, cheerfulness, hope, well-being, intellectual or spiritual growth, ecstasy. This kind of relationship is no angelic exception in a sordid world of selfish and warring individuals. It is, on the contrary, a normal event, often a part of our everyday interactions, at the base of kindness. It is service.”
Ferrucci reminds us that we have the ability and the decision as to whether we will be a blessing in other’s lives and paradoxically, in our own lives as well. He illustrates his points with incidents from his own life and also with illuminating folk tales from different cultures.
When I think of a psychoanalyst or a transpersonal therapist, I don’t think of the “type of person” that would have written this book. Perhaps I don’t have a good grasp of psychoanalysis (don’t even think about all the one-liners that this is open to), or perhaps I’ve been biased as to the left brain aspects of therapy and psychology. I’m very glad that I read this book and that my concept has been expanded in terms of what the great people in these professions bring to the table related to love, compassion and well being. You will get so many great nuggets out of this book that you may as well highlight the parts that aren’t noteworthy so that you conserve ink.

MUST GET MUSIC

SKY BLUE SKY- Wilco
My friend Jim has been trying to get me to listen to Wilco for 4 years. I finally relented and wish that I had done so a long time ago. This is a fun band. I’ve heard that some of their back catalog was kind of an indie-alt-country type of sound. This CD has a slight country feel to it on certain tracks, but I wouldn’t classify them as alt-country. They have a distinctive sound and a great sense of chord structure. I love their chord progressions since they aren’t what you’d expect. Some of the songs are somewhat melancholy without being syrupy and it’s easy to tell that the songwriter, Jeff Tweedy was going through a rough breakup when he wrote this album. Having said that, there are also some great up-tempo tracks that have a great groove. The songs are deceptively simple, meaning that at first listen I felt that they were far simpler than I realized as I listened to the music over and over.
On “Side With The Seeds”, the guitar work approaches a ferocious perfection. The melody is a driving chordal pattern that is addictive. I found myself going to the piano to hammer out the chords and just played then over and over. I’ve attached a clip of “Side With The Seeds” from YouTube. It’s good, but you need to hear the song on the CD for great sound quality. As always, it goes without saying that it should be listened to at least 3 or 4 times at high volume. I recommend that you do this in your office at a moment when it’s quiet. Right after you play this clip (loudly) I also recommend that you tell everyone within earshot that they can have the rest of the day off and that you’re buying the first round of margaritas at the closest bar. This CD is a gem and great summer music!
www.wilcoworld.net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lZeUqbVW18

AN AWESOME INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO CLIP

I found this clip to be incredible. I have always thought that animals are smarter than we often think they are and this clip proves it. As you watch this you will want to get a can of paint and your dog and cat….uh, forget that. I hope that you enjoy this as much as I did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LHoyB81LnE

AN AMAZING 68 YEAR OLD CLIP
This is one of the best tap dancing sequences that you’ll ever see. I really appreciate dancers and think that great dancers are some of the most superior athletes around. This is Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell at the peak of their game in 1940. As you watch this remember that it was all shot in one take and that Eleanor did a lot of the dancing backwards and in high heels. They say that everything comes around again and I hope that we’ll see some more of this type of timeless class in our lifetime.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toDl2hXt8BM

SIGN ME UP FOR THIS ONE/JET MAN
My wife Karin would love to do this. We are big roller coaster fans and have been bungee jumping many times, but this would top everything. Hopefully it’s just a matter of time before they develop a two person version of this and you can go for a ride. The soundtrack on this clip gets a little old, but the video is incredible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dST-a5IU_h4

WINNER OF THE MONTHLY BIZARRE CLIP AWARD
Okay, this one wins in the monthly bizarre category. The story that I’ve heard is that this was filmed in a Philipino jail. I guess it’s one way to keep criminals off the street. How do you choreograph about 1000 inmates and who says that criminals can’t be rehabilitated? This one is so odd that I can’t really comment- just watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o

TWO HILARIOUS VIDEO CLIPS

In keeping with my personal philosophy that we should have at least one good belly laugh per day for optimal health, I hope you enjoy the following two video clips.

SOME GREAT QUOTES

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom.” Anais Nin

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” Paul Boese

“Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.” Faith Whittlesey

”There is something that is much more scarce, something finer by far, something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability.” Elbert Hubbard

“If you’re irritated by every rub, how will you ever be polished?” Rumi

“The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.” George Bernard Shaw

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right. You’ll be criticized anyway.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience.” Doug Larson

“My theory is that all Scottish cuisine is based on a dare.” Mike Myers

If you think that this will be of interest to someone that you know, please feel free to forward it on. If you have any thoughts or opinions on any of these recommendations or have recommendations of your own, please let me know- you never know where the conversation will go from there.
Can you believe that we’re in May? Almost half way through 2008, already. Where does the time go? Get out, see a ballgame, chase some fireflies, lie under the stars and leave the kids with grandma and grandpa for a few days.
As always, if you’d like to reach me, the easiest and fastest way is either by email or mobile phone.

To your success,
Kevin
 

4/2/08

Hello again to my friends, family, colleagues, and clients. Many of you know me personally through work, networking or through one of my speaking engagements related to sales skills, professional networking and personal development; and some of you may know me only by email and telephone. Welcome to everyone that’s new to this distribution list.

There are a lot of very smart and interesting people that I am fortunate to network with. We share books, movies, music and ideas that stimulate us. I'm always interested to learn what other people that I respect are reading, watching and listening to. This is my monthly email newsletter with books I’ve recently read, movies seen, music devoured, ideas and other things that may be of interest to you. If you find this interesting and would like to pass it on, please feel free to do so. If you’d like to be removed from this list just let me know. If someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you would like to be added to this distribution list or if you’d like to view previous newsletters, please email me and let me know.

A number of people have asked that I insert an announcement indicating whether I have any upcoming speaking engagements that are open to the public. I do have a few public speaking engagements this month in Denver and Colorado Springs. If you have an interest in dates, times and speaking topics, please let me know.

I wrote some of this newsletter last week in a motor home while Karin, Anja, Tristan and I were taking a two week vacation in breathtakingly beautiful New Zealand. A while back I told Karin that I wanted to see some Hobbits- be careful what you ask for. What a beautiful and amazing country! We rented a motor home for the first 5 or 6 days, saw some rare dolphins while boating in a volcano next to the Tasman Sea, petted some lions, snorkeled by an island off the coast, took a six-seater plane over the Southern Alps to get to an absolutely amazing boat trip in Milford Sound, did some horseback riding where they filmed part of Lord of The Rings and went up the Sky Tower among other awesome experiences. Every minute was an adventure! If you have any interest in seeing some pictures from our trip, please email me and I’ll send them to you. I’ve included some links below to some of the places and things that we got to see and do since some people have been asking for details. If you’ve never been to New Zealand, put this small country on your list of places that you need to see and experience in your lifetime!
Akaroa Dolphins http://www.akaroadolphins.co.nz/#
Glenorchy Air http://www.glenorchy.net.nz/
Milford Sound http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/MilfordSound/
Dart Stables http://www.dartstables.com/index.htm
Queenstown http://www.queenstown-nz.co.nz/
Auckland Sky Tower http://www.skycityauckland.co.nz/skycity/auckland/sky-tower/sky-tower_home.cfm
Butler’s Swim With The Dolphins http://www.swimwithdolphins.co.nz/

TWO BOOKS TO PUT ON YOUR MUST READ LIST

Duma Key- Stephen King

The maestro of suspense and horror has written another masterpiece. It’s been way too long since I’ve read a Stephen King book and his most recent book was fantastic! How many books has King written and how can he still write such terrifying stories that grab you and don’t let you go?! Actually, he has written hundreds of novels, short stories and screenplays. Stephen has a seemingly effortless ability to paint vivid word pictures that beautifully describe and illuminate every situation he dreams up.
King weaves a very frightening story of a construction business owner that suffers a near fatal head injury (this actually happened to King just a few years ago) which afterwards leaves him with some pretty incredible and creepy powers. There are some interesting twists in this tale that I didn’t see coming.
Ironically, when I worked at Gevity and would take business trips to Bradenton, FL, I would visit some of the towns, and locales that King features in this story. There are references to Siesta Key, The Crossroads Mall and St. Armands Circle. For you folks reading this in the Sarasota area you’ll find this book very interesting and perhaps a little too close to home. Keep the lights on when you’re getting ready for sleep and you put the book on your nightstand. Creeped me out (and that’s not easy to do what with growing up in Jersey and all). http://www.stephenking.com/

As You Think- James Allen
This short book was originally called “As a Man Thinketh” when it was written back in 1904 by James Allen, and Marc Allen (no relation to James Allen) edited this classic in 1998. For fans of the self-empowerment genre, this is an absolute definitive standard.
Here’s a quote, “Thought and character are one, and as character can only manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstance, the outer conditions of your life will always be found to be harmoniously related to your inner state.” This is a book that should be referred to and reread on a frequent basis. My copy has turned into a study guide that is highlighted and written all over. There are many self-awareness/self-help/self-empowerment (that’s a lot of self, so make sure that you remember that the person that’s all wrapped in himself is overdressed) books out there that purport to hold the key to awareness and success and most of them contain great truths involving intricate methods and practices. This is not one of those books. Allen’s explanation of the path to liberation and serenity are profound in its simplicity (as all great truths are).

MUST GET MUSIC

The East Village Opera Company- The East Village Opera Company
This disc came out in 2006 and is amazing! Over the years I have heard many people and bands try to recreate well-known opera pieces in a rock format and most attempts sound cheesy at best. I am and have been a huge opera lover for years and have a personal relationship with many of the pieces on this disc so it’s gotta be great to get me off what Karin calls my “music snob high horse”. This is by far the best band that I’ve ever heard perform alternate versions of these 12 pieces. It will take about 30 seconds into the first track to realize that this powerhouse five-piece band, string quartet and two amazing vocalists are at the top of their game. As you listen to this CD, you’ll even hear a few bits and snippets of The Who, Zeppelin and other bands woven into their pieces in a very tasteful way without overwhelming the songs or trying to showoff or showboat. Habanera Redux (Carmen) alone is worth the price of this CD. When I listen to this piece at high volume with my headphones on, I am blown away by AnnMarie Milazzo’s pipes- this girl can belt it like an opera singer (go figure).
Band leader Peter Kiesewalter says, “We have profound love and respect for the opera. But it’s so dramatic, so over the top by today’s standards, that it cannot be delivered with a straight face. You need a little bit of irreverence in it.”
Checkout the band at www.eastvillageoperacompany.com and make sure that you watch the video of La Donna e Mobile at www.eastvillageoperacompany.com/video.aspx. The closest that they are planning to come to Colorado Springs is a visit to Santa Fe, NM on 9/20/08. If you’re interested in jumping in my SUV and coming along for the ride, let me know- I wouldn’t miss the show for anything!

Live in Tokyo: Larry Carlton & Robben Ford- Larry Carlton & Robben Ford
Larry Carlton is one of the best if not the best jazz guitarist alive today. Among guitarists he is looked up to as an icon of pure and clean guitar craftsmanship. He’s been recording for 40 years and has played with some of the biggest names in rock, jazz, blues and fusion of the last half-century.
Robben Ford is a phenomenal blues guitarist that first played with Larry back in 1974 when Robben was just starting to make a name for himself in the music scene. They have played together off and on for decades. Last year they played some dates in Tokyo and lucky for us, there was recording equipment in the hall. This disc is a live recording of them performing some of each other’s amazing material.
Last month I got to hear them together in Boulder. I would travel quite a way just to see either of these guys, so to have them both on stage together at the same time was like a musical eclipse. The planets aligned, the clouds parted and God shined down on the People’s Republic of Boulder for one amazing evening! You could see that they both are very respectful of each other and each other’s styles and they did a tremendous job of working together. I mention this because this disc is an almost exact recording of the concert that I attended at the beginning of March. Listen to this disc and you’ll experience almost exactly what my friend Brandon and I got to experience that wonderful evening (without all the gray hair in the audience). These are “musician’s musicians”.
Here are two great clips that I think that you’ll enjoy. The first clip is a video of part of the disc that was filmed and recorded in Tokyo last year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBS7BEPb1Jk
The second clip is a performance by Robben Ford on David Letterman’s show from back around 1991/1992. He’s performing a great version of his song, “Talk to Your Daughter”. You’ll be able to hear what a great blues player he is. Smoking! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmQLFv_Pa3U

AN AWESOME INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO CLIP

This video has gone around the world many times but I never get tired of it. Paul Potts is amazing. He is an inspiration reminding us not let go of our dreams. We are all blessed that he hung in there and never gave up despite not having a lot of confidence, and when he got his shot, he took it. Turn up your speakers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

TWO HILARIOUS VIDEO CLIPS

In keeping with my personal philosophy that we should have at least one good belly laugh per day for optimal health, I hope you enjoy the following two video clips.

Some people really enjoyed my mention of Steven Wright in a previous newsletter so I thought that I’d send out one of his hilarious clips. This about sums him up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYffXv7jMYQ

Since we are in a political year I thought that I’d include a clip for those of us that fell asleep in history class while the teacher was describing how our government operates. If Uncle Jay had been my teacher I’m sure that I wouldn’t have fallen asleep. This is the best explanation of how Congress works/doesn’t work that I’ve ever seen. Vote for Uncle Jay!
http://www.unclejayexplains.com/2007/09/03/uncle-jay-explains-the-news-september-3-2007

SOME GREAT QUOTES

“I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.” EB White

“Life lived for tomorrow will always be just a day away from being realized.” Leo Buscaglia

“The trouble with punctuality is that nobody’s there to appreciate it.”

”Treat a man as he appears to be and you make him worse, but treat a man as if he already were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be.” Goethe

“I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” Pablo Picasso

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” Christopher Reeve

"What if the hokey-pokey IS what it’s all about?”

If you think that this will be of interest to someone that you know, please feel free to forward it on. If you have any thoughts or opinions on any of these recommendations or have recommendations of your own, please let me know- you never know where the conversation will go from there. It’s spring, the flowers are blooming, lovers are kissing and I hope that life is treating you well and that you, your families and your businesses are all doing fantastic! As always, if you’d like to reach me, the easiest and fastest way is either by email or mobile phone.

To your success,
Kevin

3/2/08

Hello again to my friends, family, colleagues, and clients. Many of you know me personally through work, networking or through one of my speaking engagements related to sales skills, professional networking techniques and personal development; and some of you may know me only by email and telephone. Welcome to everyone that’s new to this distribution list.

There are a lot of very smart and interesting people that I am very fortunate to network with. We share books, movies, music and ideas that stimulate us. I'm always interested to learn what other people that I respect are reading, watching and listening to. I send out a monthly email with books I’ve recently read, movies seen, music devoured, ideas and other things that may be of interest to you. If you find this interesting and would like to pass it on, please feel free to do so. If you’d like to be removed from this list just let me know. If someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you would like to be added to this distribution list or if you’d like previous newsletters, please email me and let me know.

I wrote some of this newsletter last weekend from a beautiful ski house at 10,361 ft. in Alma, Colorado. Karin and I stay with three other couples at this ski house every winter for a long weekend (without the kids). Alma is the second highest incorporated municipality in the USA. The views from there are amazing and you truly feel like you’re on top of the world. Just cross over Hoosier Pass (11,542 ft.) and in a few minutes you’re in Breckenridge. We always have a few great days of skiing, dog sledding, snowmobiling, margaritas, poker and marinating in the hot tub under the stars. It was snowing like crazy up above 10,000 ft. and when we got back to our home on Sunday afternoon at 6300 ft. the sun was warm and blinding and my neighbor was taking his golf clubs out of his SUV as I was taking my skis out of my SUV. Colorado is such an amazing and gorgeous state.

THREE BOOKS TO PUT ON YOUR MUST READ LIST

The 4-Hour Workweek- Timothy Ferriss
If Timothy Ferriss actually has done all the things that he says in his book he has lived an incredible life in a relatively short time frame. Tim has figured out how to live his dreams while automating businesses in a manner that require very little day to day involvement. He is a serial entrepreneur and outlines some very innovative methods of succeeding while being able to live and work from anywhere.
I found his explanation of utilizing VA’s (virtual assistants) very interesting. There are a number of tasks that I spend time on that I will be outsourcing to a VA. He also lists a number of companies that provide these types of services.
If you’re open to the concept of putting parts of your life and business on “autopilot” so that you can do more of the things that you want to do, you will love this book. www.fourhourworkweek.com

The Science of Getting Rich and The Science of Being Great- Wallace Wattles
These two short books were written back in 1910 and 1911 and are two of about 12 books that I reread and refer to often. I recommend that both books be read in order to get a full understanding of Wattles’ philosophies. He was a pioneer of the success writing genre and TSGR was part of the inspiration for The Secret (a very popular movie on success and The Law of Attraction that came out in 2006). When you think about the ideas that Wattles was introducing a hundred years ago it’s pretty amazing. The concept that “a thought held in thinking substance is a real thing; a form, and has actual existence, although it is not visible to you” may be hard for many people to grasp but it’s worth the effort of getting your brain around these concepts. You can download The Science of Getting Rich at www.scienceofgettingrich.net for free. There are so many great concepts introduced in these books that I could write a few newsletters just about these books. Mind expanding!

MUST GET MUSIC & HUMOR

Moment of Forever- Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson is almost as prolific as Mozart and still tours as much as the Grateful Dead used to. At 123 years old he’s still touring like a young rock star (he’s really 74). Not bad for a man that actually retired from music back in 1965 and then eventually returned to the music scene. This new CD has some great music on it. Most of the songs were written by other people but when Willie is singing them there is no way that he can help but put his stamp on them. If you want to see an interesting new music video for his song, Gravedigger, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5gTd2xMKHk and check him out. On a humorous side note, there’s a new biography out on Willie that says that he’s been smoking pot since he was 10 years old. That explains why Snoog Dog calls him a late bloomer. Willie is a national treasure. www.willienelson.com

I Still Have a Pony- Steven Wright
Alright, let me just say up front that I have an odd sense of humor. Yes, I love The Office, Seinfeld, George Carlin, Jim Carrey and all the standard comedy crowd pleasers. Steven Wright is a stand-up comedian that is more than a bit off. Karin and I saw him about 8 years ago in Pennsylvania and he was brilliant. Years ago, I got his CD “I Have a Pony” (1985) and his new CD “I Still Have a Pony” is a long awaited great follow up. In the last 20 years he’s had a number of bit parts and cameos in some pretty funny movies. Steven is so dry that he makes Bob Newhart look like John Belushi and his delivery is almost as funny as his bits. When you listen to this CD you will wonder how anyone could come up with the interesting things that he thinks up. A nice aspect of his humor is that it’s 99% clean (twisted, but clean). If you’re okay enough with your self image and don’t worry about what others think of you or your sense of humor you might even loan it to your friends. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. www.stevenwright.com

River: The Joni Letters- Herbie Hancock
Herbie just won the Grammy for Album of the Year with this CD (why do they still call it “album”?). Most of the songs on this CD are Herbie’s versions of Joni’s songs. Joni Mitchell is a genius and often her music takes repeated listening to really understand. I compare Joni to scotch in that it often takes gradual exposure to her music in order to develop an appreciation of the subtleties and nuances of her songwriting. Her 1975 album Hissing of Summer Lawns is one of my favorite albums of all time. Hancock decided to take on some very interesting music with this project. Herbie does a great job of covering Joni’s songs whether he’s playing them as instrumentals or accompanying a singer. Tina Turner’s version of Edith and the Kingpin is fantastic. Many of these versions are pure hardcore jazz and not Kenny G style jazz. If you like your jazz straight up you’ll enjoy this CD. I heard Herbie at Carnegie Hall in 2003 and got to meet him backstage and had a CD signed by him. He is a class act, a true jazz genius and probably the best known jazz pianist alive today. Caution: may take repeated listening. Not for the jazz light crowd. www.herbiehancock.com

TWO AWESOME INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO CLIPS

This is a fantastic video clip of Jimmy Valvano at the 1993 ESPY Awards giving a speech when he knew that he didn’t have long to live because of the cancer in his body. It’s a 9:48 video clip that will inspire you whether you are into sports or not. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePXlkqkFH6s

This is a video of the Last Lecture series at Carnegie Mellon that was recorded on 9/18/07 called Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. Dr. Pausch delivered this 76:26 lecture knowing that he was recently given three months to live due to pancreatic cancer. He is still battling the disease and is an amazing testament to the concept of deciding to focus on living despite the circumstances. It’s a long video and the middle digs into some detailed work experiences but I encourage you to watch the entire video. Randy is a nerd (although a pretty funny nerd) and he reveals a number of very insightful truths that are full of wisdom. You will get far more out of this 76 minutes than you will out of all the Lost and American Idol episodes combined (and I love those shows). This is an amazing video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

HILARIOUS AUDIO CLIP

In keeping with my personal philosophy that we should have at least one good belly laugh per day, I submit to you a great audio clip. Just for fun, make sure that you’re in your office at work with the speakers turned up loud. You’re going to enjoy this. Never mess with little old ladies. Clean and very funny. www.chumfm.com/MorningShow/bits/march24.swf

SOME GREAT QUOTES

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” Mark Twain

“My nephew has HDADD-High Definition Attention Deficit Disorder. He can barely pay attention, but when he does, it’s unbelievably clear.” Steven Wright

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” Albert Einstein

”I tell people: If you don’t want to get into positive thinking, that’s okay. Just eliminate all the negative thoughts from your mind, and whatever’s left will be fine.” Bob Rotella, Sports Psychology Specialist

“First things first, and last things not at all.” Peter Drucker

“A friend of mine has a trophy wife, but apparently it wasn’t first place.” Steven Wright

"It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business." Mahatma Gandhi

If you think that this will be of interest to someone that you know, please feel free to forward it on. If you have any thoughts or opinions on any of these recommendations or have a recommendation of your own, please let me know- you never know where the conversation will go from there. I hope that 2008 is treating you well so far and that you, your families and your businesses are all doing fantastic! As always, if you’d like to reach me, the easiest and fastest way is either by email or mobile phone.

To your success,
Kevin

2/2/08

Hello again to my friends, family, colleagues, and clients. Many of you know me personally through work, networking or through one of my speaking engagements. Some of you may know me only by email and telephone. Welcome to everyone that’s new to this distribution list.

There are a lot of smart and interesting people that I am very fortunate to network with. We share books, movies, music and ideas that stimulate us. I'm always interested to learn what other people that I respect are reading, watching and listening to. I send out an email from time to time with books I’ve recently read, movies seen, music devoured and ideas that may be of interest to you. If you find this interesting and would like to pass it on, please feel free to do so. If you’d like to be removed from this list just let me know.

I wrote most of this newsletter last weekend from my hotel room at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. If you haven’t been to Baltimore in the last 5 to 10 years you should go. The Inner Harbor has been revitalized and there is a revolutionary war period battleship in the harbor in addition to an ESPN Zone and lots of shops and restaurants. Nice place for a historical family weekend trip (the founding fathers would have loved ESPN).

THREE BOOKS TO PUT ON YOUR MUST READ LIST

Getting Things Done- David Allen
I wish that I had read this book about 20 years ago; although I bet that I would not have been ready for it at that time. Allen has some great techniques for organizing tasks, data and your life. His methods may seem a little extreme at first but once I started implementing them into my life I realized the brilliance of his ideas. It’s an example of the truth always being simple and the truth setting you free. Allen has a second book called Ready for Anything that is kind of a Cliff notes version of GTD. I would recommend reading GTD though, as this book explains his techniques in detail rather than from a high level. His email filing system has reduced my inbox cleaning methods by at least 30 to 40%. The same goes for the inbox on my desk. Allen is a master of the art of stress-free productivity. Checkout www.davidco.com for more details of his work and his public speaking engagements.

The Go-Giver- Bob Burg and John David Mann
This book is getting a lot of press right now and deservedly so. It’s a short tale in the mold of some of the great books from Og Mandino. I read this book on the plane trip to and from Baltimore and loved it. I have to admit that I am a huge Bob Burg fan and have had the opportunity to meet him on a few occasions. His book Endless Referrals is the best book on professional networking that I have ever read and I have made a lot of money utilizing his simple techniques in my sales career and I’ve also given and recommended his book to hundreds of people. Don’t be fooled by their seemingly simple story. The truths that Burg and Mann weave through their story have the power to change your life if you’re ready to accept and live them. Their Five Laws of Stratospheric Success have a brilliant way of showing us that “a glorious irony of creation is that it tucks its greatest truths carefully inside of paradoxes”. We don’t ever break the laws of human relations; we only break ourselves against them by trying to violate them. Must read! www.thegogiver.com

The Beatles- Bob Spitz
Hello, my name is Kevin Knebl (everyone say “hi Kevin”) and I am a Beatleaholic. I love everything that the Beatles wrote and have been a huge fan of their music since I was a kid (when the earth was cooling). This is the best biography of the Beatles that I’ve ever read. If you are interested in a complete and detailed understanding of their family histories, childhoods, marriages, neuroses, career together and a complete explanation of their breakup this is the book for you. At over 800 pages it is an exhaustive warhorse, so saddle up. I learned a lot of details about the lads that I didn’t already know and I consider myself a Beatles aficionado (not at your level, Tommy, but up there). After reading this book you’ll be dusting off your records or downloading their great music off iTunes.

MUST GET MUSIC

Take The Long Way Home (DVD)- Roger Hodgson
Remember Supertramp? You probably do if you’re over 30. Roger was one of the two brains behind Supertramp’s greatest hits. He left the band at their peak and disappeared off the music scene for a long time in order to raise his kids. He came back a few years ago and has been touring as a solo artist. This DVD is a live performance recorded in Montreal in June, 2006. It’s just Hodgson and a sax player. I thought that this would sound very bare bones without the rest of the band and I was completely wrong- he’s a one man orchestra. He plays his hits either on piano or twelve-string guitar the way that he wrote them. He seems absolutely thrilled to be back playing these songs and is so relaxed and unpretentious that his performance is breathtaking. If you’re a Supertramp fan you’re going to love this DVD and if you’re not familiar with Supertramp you need to get this DVD. I can’t stop playing this DVD and often listen to it on my laptop in the background while I’m working on other things. This was the top selling DVD in Canada in November and December and may still be at this point in time. Hodgson is a melodic master. www.rogerhodgson.com

HILARIOUS YOUTUBE CLIP

In keeping with my personal philosophy that we should have at least one good belly laugh per day, I submit to you a great video clip. I remember doing a couple of these moves and no you can’t see the home movies and pictures of me from high school, college and crazy bachelor parties. I especially like the Vanilla Ice/MC Hammer portion. This may be the funniest six minutes of your week. Enjoy. http://www.youtube..com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

SOME GREAT QUOTES

“Circumstances are rulers of the weak and instruments of the wise”

“What you find tells you what you are looking for”

“Write a wise saying and your name will live forever”- Anonymous

“Kindness is the highest form of intelligence”

“Perception is a mirror, not a fact”

“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Of course inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read”- Groucho Marx

If you think that this will be of interest to someone that you know, please feel free to forward it on. If you have any thoughts or opinions on any of these recommendations please let me know- you never know where the conversation will go from there. I hope that you're having a great start to 2008 and that you, your families and your businesses are all doing fantastic! As always, if you’d like to reach me, the easiest and fastest way is either by email or mobile phone.

To your success,
Kevin

1/8/08
Hello again to my friends, family, colleagues, and clients. Many of you know me personally through work, networking or through one of my speaking engagements. Some of you know me only by email and telephone. Happy New Year and welcome to everyone that’s new to this distribution list.

I’m writing this from my home office at the base of Cheyenne Mountain in the Rockies behind The Broadmoor in beautiful Colorado Springs. It snowed last night and we woke up to a few inches of gorgeous powder this morning. The kids had a two hour delayed opening at school and they were thrilled.

There are a lot of smart and interesting people that I am very fortunate to network with. We share books, music and ideas that stimulate us. I'm always interested to learn what other people that I respect are reading and listening to and many others ask the same of me. I send out an email from time to time with books I’ve recently read, music devoured, movies seen and ideas that may be of interest to you. If you find this interesting and would like to pass it on, please feel free to do so. If you’d like to be removed from the list please let me know.

TWO BOOKS TO PUT ON YOUR MUST READ LIST

The Elements of Persuasion- Richard Maxwell and Robert Dickman
Whether you sell or give presentations for a living or not, learning that all effective communication can be reduced to a five-element story model can help you become a much better communicator. Once I read this short book I started seeing the PHAAT (Passion, Hero, Antagonist, Awareness,
Transformation) model everywhere. I hear it in songs and see it in movies, business meetings and conversations with Karin and my kids and now understand these conversations better. Great book!
There was also a great article by Peter Guber in the December Harvard Business Review on storytelling in the corporate environment. Fantastic article.

Never Eat Alone- Keith Ferrazzi
Many of you know that I love to meet people and seek to continually expand and develop my relationships. I have promoted Dale Carnegie's book, How to Win Friends and Influence People and also Tim Sanders' book, Love Is The Killer App for many years. These two books have helped me to develop personal and business relationships more than any other books that I have ever read. Never Eat Alone is right up there with both of those books. Ferrazzi's insights into how to cultivate and nurture a large network are very timely and take advantage of technology that didn't exist when Carnegie's and Sanders' books were written. The Relationship Action Plan is especially useful.

MUST GET MUSIC

Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 DVD
Eric Clapton's 2nd guitar festival was recorded in Chicago in July, 2007. (He also had a guitar festival in Dallas in 2004.) The proceeds from this festival and the DVDs went to the Crossroads Centre in Antigua which is recognized as a premier center for the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction. The lineup on this disc is full of amazing guitarists. Jeff Beck takes his guitar to a place that I think just may be in another galaxy. The blues playing by all the artists is some of the best you'll ever see and hear. There's also the first pairing of Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton on a number of songs. I love the raw sound of the two Los Lobos songs. Awesome 2 DVD set that should be in every guitar lovers' music collection.

Long Road Out of Eden- Eagles
If you are an Eagles fan (you're probably over 35) you will love this double CD set. Some of these songs sound like they were written 30 years ago and have been held in a vault somewhere. This new recording came out just a few months ago and has already been awarded 7 Platinum Records (yes, you read that right). If you like songwriting with lots of acoustic guitar and catchy melodies this is a recording for you. I can't wait to pick up the sheet music and start playing these songs on my piano and guitar. I'm hoping that they announce a tour soon. Let's hope that they don't wait another 20 years to record again.

GREAT BLOG

Scott Adams' Dilbert Blog http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/
I've read the Dilbert comic strip occasionally over the years but have never read many of them. I recently started reading Scott Adams' blog and this is one funny and insightful guy. He has unique perspectives on a number of diverse and sometimes obscure topics and I often find myself laughing as I'm looking at the screen. Everyone needs a good daily belly laugh for optimal health and this blog will give it to you.

If you think that this will be of interest to someone that you know, please feel free to forward it on. If you have any thoughts or opinions on any of these recommendations please let me know- you never know where the conversation will go from there. 2007 was a very exciting year and I hope that you're having a great start to 2008 and that you, your family and your business are all doing fantastic! As always, the easiest way to reach me is either by email or mobile phone.

To your success,
Kevin