Dan’s Surfing Snippets

For the people of Haiti.

Submitted to me by Faye Gray…

Lord, I just want to say THANK YOU , because this morning  I woke up and
knew where my children were. Because this morning my home was still
standing, because this morning  I am not crying because my husband, my
child, my brother or sister needs to be buried out from underneath a pile of
concrete, because this morning I was able to drink a glass of water, because
this morning I was able to turn on the light, because this morning I was
able to take a shower, because this morning I was not planning a funeral,
but most of all I thank  you this morning because I still have life and a
voice to cry  out for the people of Haiti. Lord I cry out to you, the one
that makes the impossible, possible, the one that turns darkness into light,
I cry out that you give those mothers strength, that  you give them peace
that surpasses all understanding, that  you may open the streets so that
help can come, that you may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and all
that they need in a blinogether for the people in Haiti .
We here are truly blessed!!!!! 

-

I recently purchased a book that once I started reading it I could not put it down it was so compelling. Wow! It is so packed with knowledge and insights that I had to share it with others.

The book is “Chosen for Greatness” by Burnette Clingman www.burnetteclingman.com also available on Amazon.com.

As a weekly radio talk show host of Rise! Burnette was able to be one-on-one with a large number of famous and influential people.

Her book is comprised of many of the best such as Immaculee Ilibagiza, Susan Jeffers, Dr. Iyanla Vanzant, John Maxwell, Susan Taylor, Leonard Pitts Jr., Dr. Myles Monroe, Dr. Dennis Kimbro, Jack Canfield, Nancy Chen, Les Brown, Kim Kiyosaki, Donna Richardson Joyner, Zig Ziglar, Colleen Barrett, James Brown, Marc Morial, Joyce Beatty, Valerie Coleman-Morris, Stedman Graham, Dr. Lorraine Monroe and Tavis Smily.

Tavis Smily summed it up, “Chosen for Greatness is inspiring and empowering! It will move you beyond fear to seize the opportunity to live a life of faith and greatness.”

I personally found each and every one of these interviews intensely interesting. However, some even more so like Immaculee Ilibagiza’s story of hiding from the genocide in Rwanda that spared her life but not that of her family; like embracing the Kingdom Principles in our lives espoused by Dr. Myles Monroe; and Dr. Dennis Kimbro’s quest for why some succeed and others do not.

This is a powerful book with so much great information that you will want to read it over and over again.

Burnette Clingman feels that each of us has a purpose and was born for greatness and the world is awaiting you. Her book provides practical techniques and knowledge that everyone can understand and use in their own lives to achieve greatness.

Burnette travels the country as a renown trainer, keynote and motivational speaker, and author. Read this book and you will enjoy it as much as I did.

A few years ago on a hot summer day my wife, Marcella, and I were going for a morning walk in the park. We passed many trees but when we passed a beautiful large oak tree she said that she just received an inspiration.

I asked what was it about and she said that the tree was crying. I again asked what she meant and she said that she got an inspiration to write a children’s book about two boys who were beating up and hanging from the branches of a similar oak tree and it made the tree cry. She said that trees must have feelings just as humans do and when we abuse them they hurt.

Fast forward to this Spring and she told me that she needed to write that book about the tree. She is a math and science 6^th Grade school teacher and has been busy with work, caring for her 95 year old mom and getting through about 10 months of a serious eye problem that rendered her in constant paid during that entire time. Now she has a little breathing room, if you can call it that. But, she said, I am sure God wants me to do this book.

By the beginning of this Summer the book was completed. Her goal as a teacher was to reach each child even one at a time. However, through books, she would be able to reach many.

Her intent is that this book would be used as a starting point for discussions on how we should respect plants, animals, the environment and each other, especially those different from us and also the elderly. Yes, that is saying a lot but when she read it too me I knew she was on to something big.

“And The Tree Cried Out” is a story about two boys, Rodney (who is African-American) and Alex (who is Caucasian). Their mothers pack them lunch and snacks and they pulled their red wagon down the path to the local fishing hole on a hot and sunny summer day.

On the way they played and paused under a large oak tree both to get shade from the heat and also to beat the tree and climb and hang on its branches.

Feeling some raindrops they became disappointed that their fun day would have to prematurely end. But, looking at the sky, it was still bright and sunny. That was odd.

They paused from their playing to eat and drink their juice and then fell asleep. Alex dreamed that “Mr. Tree” was actually talking to him and explained that the drops they felt were not raindrops but his tears! He explained that trees have feelings!

He went on that he observed humans through the years and how they mistreated many things including each other, especially if they are different, and even their grandparents and that it wasn’t right.

Alex woke up and told Rodney about his dream, which they discuss in detail and agree to try to treat others and the environment with respect.

The book is only available online at www.BarrettBooksDayton.com. The book has been translated into Spanish and will also be available soon.

Despite a recession and high unemployment in most of the country, new technology will be one of the most important ways for us to climb our way into profitability.

Dayton, Ohio has thrived in the past as a center for innovation and invention. Many things we take for granted in our lives were born out of the minds of Daytonians like the airplane, electric starter, artificial heart, bar code scanner, cash register (manual and electric), cellophane tape, chrome plating, double glass windows, ethyl gasoline, filter cigarette, heart-lung machine, gas mask, high-octane aviation gasoline, ice cream cone, ice cube tray, instant blood-glucose testing, laser weapons, microfiche, mood ring, ring-pull can opener, self-starter, space food, step ladder, storage battery, time pill, yo-yo and thousands more. For a more detailed list see: http://www.cityofdayton.org/departments/pa/Pages/inventionlist.aspx

Being at the forefront of new ideas was what helped Dayton to thrive in the past and it will be what is needed to help us thrive again.

I recently asked Brad Proctor, CEO of the new Dayton RFID Convergence Center, to speak to our Metro Dayton Chapter of BNI (Business Network International) and was fully excited about what he had to say.

We are all accustomed to bar codes and items being scanned at the grocery cash register. With this new technology you will be able to leave all the items in the shopping cart and they will all be scanned at once!

This technology has other many other applications, like the ability to track each manufactured item from production, thru shipping, thru receiving, thru selling and inventory control. The industries that can use this technology for increased efficiency and productivity are endless, from blood banking to egg farms.

Brad and VP Matt Kussman are looking to attract other businesses in the RDIF industry to assist each other in furthering this technology. The future is wide open as to how far this project can go.

Learn more about this technology by visiting the Dayton RFID Convergence Center’s Web site — www.daytonrcc.com.

There comes a time when the average man and woman have had enough and take a stand for human dignity, for human rights, especially when they have been oppressed.

This is exacerbated when rulers and ruling parties take their people for granted and insult their intelligence by making false claims and acting like despots.

This country, the United States of America, was born from the average people having enough of tyrannical rule and taking a stand and fighting for freedom.

With that high moral example other countries have followed this lead through the centuries to establish democracy, rule by and for the people.

Now, through the advent of modern technology, the world is watching and witnessing the birth pangs of the cry for freedom in Iran. A cry mixed with the blood of its own people who had the courage to peacefully march in protest to a blatantly flawed election process only to be beaten and gunned down in cold blood.

Neda, a young woman, was one of these victims who did her part to peacefully march only to be shot to death on a street in Tehran. Unfortunately, this victim is only one of many. She has become a martyr, a symbol of this peaceful stand for freedom.

Several thousands of miles away we can only watch and physically do nothing. But we can lend our moral support to the people of Iran who are yearning for the freedom we take for granted.

With such support around the world we can make a difference. The momentum has begun and we need to do what we can to keep this momentum for freedom alive.

Josh is sixteen and like most boys his age he likes to hang out with his friends.

One afternoon this past summer Josh and several of his friends decided to build a barn fire in their back yard as they have done, with parental supervision, on many occasions.

But this time would be different and have a lasting impact on them all. While standing close to the fire one of his friends spotted a gas can in the yard and without much thought, as common to boys his age, threw the gas can into the fire.

There was a flash and Josh was covered with flames. Everyone scrambled to put out the fire on his head, arms and body. 911 was called and in a short time he was care-flighted to the nearest hospital. Subsequently, he was transferred to the Burn Center in Cincinnati.

After a lot of pain, operations and therapy he was finally able to make it back home. There will be many, many more operations and therapy for a full recovery, both physically and mentally.

His grandfather had an idea. He and his son, Josh’s dad, bought this old log cabin farmhouse and were going to slowly rehab it anyway. Maybe Josh would be able to do some work on a limited basis on weekends as a motivational tool to get his spirit back.

His dad belongs to our BNI group and when we heard about the project we felt that we wanted to help. Since the family would not take any cash contributions we decided to contribute with our hands on this project.

Yes, we got our hands dirty and felt sore the day after but there is a certain satisfaction you get out of helping others and there is a time that work doesn’t seem like work.

http://www.bni-referrals.com/JoshWorkProject.htm

Wisdom transcends continents and cultures. These little gems of knowledge were given at a Metro Dayton Chapter of BNI (www.bni-referrals.com) Educational Moment by Sheri Smith of National City Mortgage in Troy, OH and are well worth sharing. See if you can determine the meaning before reading the translation.

A ripe melon falls by itself - Zimbabwe

(All things happen when their time comes.)

Talking does not fill the basket in the farm - West Africa

(Success requires planning and hard work.)

If your house is burning, that is not time to go hunting

(Priorities are important in life and planning activities.)

Lack of knowledge is darker than night - Nigeria

(Knowledge is light.)

A bird is in the air, but it’s mind is on the ground

(Where ever you are it is important to remember where you came from and what is important.)

Do not insult the crocodile until you cross the water

(Be careful about criticizing others.)

If you run after two hares, you will catch neither

(Focus, Focus, Focus.)

For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.

Solopreneurs are solo entrepreneurs and Solopreneurs.org is a website devoted entirely to those individual small business entrepreneurs and is loaded with plenty of help, advice and tools so that your solo operation will have a better chance of success. 

Many small business owners up until now wish they had a place that they could go to in order to get global expert advice and coaching when starting up a new business venture.

The International Association of Solopreneurs provides that and much more as close as your fingertips. You might say it’s a one-stop way to access tools, applications and help whether you are just thinking about opening up your own business, just getting started or even for those who have been in business for several years. There is something for everyone.

For a small monthly fee, rather then hiring a high-priced business consultant, you have access to support from the experts in the field and can collaborate and share best practices.

Why go it alone when you can benefit from the years of knowledge and experience of a community? A reason many choose to go alone is because they enjoy going it alone and calling all the shots. However, one of the risks of going it alone is always being alone.

At IAS you can connect with other like-minded business owners to create and improve your successful and profitable business while still having fun.

The website contains many innovative and interactive tools to help in that regard, which include:

• Recommended Reading
• Teleconferencing
• File Sharing
• Access to Blogs / Podcasts / Articles
• Communication System with private messaging and discussion boards
• Live Broadcaster
• Reviews
• Task Manager
• Web Audio Chat
• Web Video Chat
• Audio / Video Postcards
• Audio / Video Presentations
• Video / MP3 Gallery
• And more

The idea was started by well known and certified business coach Donna Amos who has many years of experience in the use of proven, practical techniques to leverage her client’s strengths in order to succeed.

Are you ready to discover your potential and strategize your next step?

Join URL:
http://www.solopreneurs.org/members/solopreneur/info/DanBarrett-join.html

Over 250,000 homes and businesses lost power when the remnant of Hurricane Ike slammed into the SW Ohio area tearing down trees, light poles and damaging businesses and homes and causing fires that burned several down to the ground.

When disasters and other business interruptions happen more then physical damage takes place. There is an affect on our psyche.

We are stunned and can easily fall into a mental and physical rut.

Serious instances like the effects of hurricanes, floods, etc. cause a mental trauma that can impact you and your business.

Ideally a person needs to have a clear head and clear focus to carry on their business responsibilities. So how does a person bounce back?

The best way to deal with these feelings is to force yourself to do productive things. Yes, I said force because there is a tendency to procrastinate that has to be overcome.

Get back into the swing of things. Set up an appointment or lunch with a colleague or client. Start a new project.

Get involved, get involved get involved!

Recommendation: Join Solopreneurs.

http://www.solopreneurs.org/members/solopreneur/info/DanBarrett-join.html

As predicted, the wind was steadily picking up from the remnant of Hurricane Ike. The forecast was for some rain and a windy Sunday. But no one in the Miami Valley of Ohio expected hurricane force winds that would tear down large trees and telephone poles and spew them across roads, on top of houses and cars and leave hundreds of thousands in the dark for a week!

Wow! One minute you are enjoying a lazy summer day and then in an instant no power.  

We sat in the living room watching the strong winds bend the large trees and talked in the quiet. Wonder where are all the little birds that we usually see? Where did they go to hide?

As first we didn’t know how long it would last while we still had daylight so we went to the store to stock up on batteries and other items.  The few stores that were open were running on generators and people were scrambling for supplies.

As night approached we hunkered down with no lights, no air conditioner, no TV, no computer. We had an old battery powered radio and through the static we heard that there were a lot of people in our situation.

My wife and I were concerned about her 94 year old mom who lives with us but as long as we stayed calm and gave direction and reassurance she was ok.

A little after 8 pm our lights came back on and we were relieved. We hurried to shower and take care of what we could before going to bed in case the power went out again.

We were the few fortunate ones as Monday we found out that over 225,000 in the Dayton area and 600,000 in the Cincinnati area were without power. Trees and poles were down everywhere. The schools and many businesses were closed. The County and City stated a State of Emergency and urged everyone to stay off the streets.

As the days past and businesses were slowly back on line I was able to communicate via email to many others only to find out that while they had power at work their home situation was very different… still no power. That meant cold showers and loss of food in the refrigerators and freezers.

One week later and still 60,000 customers without power!

We were all blessed that the weather this week has been beautiful so people without power were able to grill outdoors and clean up their property. We were also fortunate that although we lost our power, once it returned, most of us still had our homes in tact. Look at the devastation on the city of Galveston and the Texas-Louisiana coast in comparison. Yes, we were very fortunate and Blessed!

I also witnessed people helping others with food for those without electricity, especially the elderly, and jointly cleaning up their neighborhoods. It is a joy to see people coming together as Americans –Ohioans– do so well.

How did you weather the week the power went out?