Strive4impact Main Page

Life: The Guide You Should Have Been Given - On Happiness

2010-07-19T06:11:59Z

Humans are the most intelligent, most active, most influential, and some of the longest lived creatures we've discovered so far. Despite this, human life is short. 80-150 years is not a long time to live. For a human with only 80-150 years, the greatest possible outcome at the end is joy; true happiness. So what makes you happy? Happiness is the total of how much you want something (desire), multiplied by how satisfied you are once you have it (satisfaction). Put another way, happiness equals satisfaction divided by desires. If happiness equals total satisfaction divided by total desires, then the goal has to be - to be more satisfied or to desire less. Some humans spend their lives working hard to desire less. While noble, desiring less seems contrary to our very nature. The natural state of any living organism encourages it to change, adapt, respond, and improve throughout time. Desiring less seems contrary to the very nature of nature itself. The goal, therefore, must be greater levels of satisfaction. At the most basic level, what brings the greatest satisfaction? A job well done An improved life What you have done = what you've created/produced = productivity Lives you have improved = significance So, you may have noticed... Productivity and significance require you to DO. If happiness = greater satisfaction, and satisfaction = productivity and significance, and productivity/significance = Doing, then more doing should equal more happiness. So why not just DO more? Because there's infinite possibility for what can be seen and done. When dividing anything by infinity, the result equals a number so close to zero that it will always feel like zero. "Doing More" when divided by infinite possibility, will generally end up feeling like nothing. So "Doing more" yourself is not the answer. Remember, you only get between 80-150 years. But you can do more, which should result in greater happiness, so long as you remember... Doing more is not about being the doer. You doing more is not even about you. What is "doing more?" It's using the same level of your resources in order to accomplish something greater. Archimedes said, "Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world." Doing more is about leverage. Because you are human, you can communicate with other humans. Since humans are some of the most intelligent creatures we've discovered so far, your greatest leverage comes from communication with other humans. The ordering of qualities/values: -Time and Energy -Knowledge (learned/experienced) -Systems -Reputation -Money -Stuff Leverage comes through other people. Other People's Time (OPT) Other People's Energy (OPE) Other People's Knowledge (OPK) Other People's Systems (OPSys) Other People's Reputation (OPR) Other People's Money (OPM) Other People's Stuff (OPS) Leverage coming through others has moved humanity forward since the beginning of humanity. Isn't it wonderful that you doing more, and your inherent desire to do more, is about other people? And how do you get to leverage others? By letting them leverage you and yours. By exchanging a leverage point of yours for a leverage point of theirs. Money, exchanged for something else, is the most common exchange of leverage. However, contrary to how many people live: Money is less valuable than time Money is less valuable than energy Money is less valuable than knowledge Money is less valuable than systems Money is less valuable than reputation The only thing less valuable than money is stuff. Because people want and need stuff, they are willing to trade qualities more valuable than money, in exchange for money, so that they can get stuff. Trading your money for someone else's time, energy, knowledge, systems, or reputation gives you greater leverage. This should always be true, but it is only true if you find someone else... someone whose leverage is good for what you're trying to accomplish, who also perceives that your leverage is good for what they're trying to accomplish. (How to find that someone else is another topic for another time.) The less stuff you need and want, the less you'll focus on acquiring money to get stuff, which will result in more of your focus placed on getting and creating happiness and true joy. (How to want and need less stuff is also a different topic for a different time.) So, let's re-cap. You are a human. You are clever and strong. But your experience is limited to 80-150 years. In these 80-150 years, the ultimate goal of your existence is to experience joy - true happiness. Happiness equals level of satisfaction divided by level of desires. Lowering your level of desires is contrary to your existence, so focus on increasing satisfaction rather than decreasing desires. Increased satisfaction comes from increased productivity and/or increased significance. An increase in productivity or significance come through doing more. But Doing more doesn't make you the doer. Doing more comes through the leverage of other people, and through letting them leverage you (even if their leverage is over your money or your stuff). One key to productivity and significance lies in discovering the greatest leverage points of others. Another key is knowing the applications of these leverage points. One of the best applications of leverage is in making connections between people. How can you get someone's knowledge working with someone else's energy? How can you get someone's time working with someone else's system? When this is done effectively, it becomes a chain of impact, elevating individual societies, and humanity as a whole. Future topics: - How to find that "someone else" who is good for what you're trying to accomplish. Spending your leverage points on a time or energy waster is a poor application of leverage. - How to want and need less stuff

Internet Explorer 8 Won't Open Links In New Window Or New Tab

2010-01-05T14:17:13Z

Problem: Your Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) won't open any links in a new window or a new tab. This means that all links from an email account (like Hotmail, Gmail, or Yahoo) simply don't open. In some cases, the links may open the tab, but then nothing happens (the screen loads blank or with a white page), or the links simply don't open the tab or window at all. Solution: After working on getting tabs to open by turning off add-ons, and about 100 other suggestions from people all over the Internet, my dad and I found the code below (on this post written by someone named Kai) and it worked. IE 8 now WILL open new tabs and new windows on my parent's computer, where it wouldn't open new tabs and new windows before we applied this fix. As that post was a little sparse on instructions (for people who may not know about programs like Notepad), I took the instructions and added some screenshots so that anyone can use this excellent code Kai has written. The code appears to be 100% fine, although we did get a little error message when running it, but no problems with the computer since. I can't guarantee this will help you open new tabs or windows in Internet Explorer 8, but we seriously tried about 100 other suggestions before finding this one that finally worked. Why Microsoft hasn't come up with this solution is beyond me as it appears plenty of people are having this problem. If this lets you open new tabs/new windows in Internet Explorer 8 (running Windows 7 as an operating system (OS)), please post a comment below so others will know that this works.]]> Instructions:

Should News Be Free? Weird Question.

2009-07-29T06:00:35Z

I'll turn 30 this year. All things being equal, I haven't been on the planet that long. But I've seen a lot of changes in a very short amount of time. One big fascination for me has been to watch "old" media's response to "new" media. Examples of it abound, but a couple of prominent examples include

The Recording Industry Association vs. Napster (and music on the Internet in general)
The decline of major newspapers around the world (particularly in the US)

The "old" guard wants to sue to make things right, and get back what's "rightfully theirs". HELLO? It was never really yours. You built an amazing centralized system which allowed all of us to find out about music and movies and news, and etc. etc. etc. Here's a great post that explains a lot about why old media is having such a hard time with things. http://www.remarkable-communication.com/transparency-and-the-meatball-sundae/ Newspapers are a great example of "old" media which is dying out/changing form because of disruptive technology. Reading the above led me to this post, asking the question "Should news be free?" Should news be free? I think it's beside the point. Maybe it's because I went through the first part of my life with no Internet, and have had the opportunity to watch and participate in it's growth through my teens and twenties. But the question itself kind of baffles me. News, by it's very nature, is free. It always has been. People have paid for the distribution and the quality of the writing, but news is free.]]> THEN you try to market to them. Before, attention was about some guy standing in a grocery store or on a college campus (because if they could get you in college, they had you for life) trying to get you to sign up for the weekend edition. Now, the only way "old" media can get you to sign up is by telling you about the coupons that come for free in the weekend edition. The new model is about attention. The old model was about attention, but what they were selling was information. In the old model, those with the best or most current information won the attention. In the new model, those who have the most or best reasons for you to pay attention will win. You may say it's the same thing, but it's not. (Those who gain the most people's attention have the most power. In the long run, it's the service providers with the biggest platforms that really have the most attention... Facebook, Twitter, etc. But that's a whole other topic.) The difference is, in the new model, it's not about you getting my attention, it's about you encouraging me to choose you as where I place my attention. It's a subtle difference, but it's HUGE. The new model puts me in power (or at least lets me believe I have the power) of my own attention. --- Back to the discussion about news. --- Here's the thing about news. It's around us, and nearly instant. It happens the moment someone twitters about a new YouTube video just uploaded from the streets of Iran. The question old media should be asking (actually the question many should have been asking for the last 10 years) is how to take part in the space that's been created, not how to take advantage of the space that's been created to bring people to the old model. It's a difficult challenge, and some companies have navigated it successfully while many most definitely have not. News is free. News will become more and more free as more and more people learn how to upload videos and pictures, and are given all the incentives (which are things like communication with family around the world, having the attention focused on them, etc.) to do so. The old guard that's still around must adapt to that fact VERY quickly, or they will find their end very soon. And it will not happen (as they might imagine or hope) with with a wailing and gnashing of teeth, or with a huge bang fireworks explosion ending. It will happen instead with a tiny whimper, as they fade into the background of noise that exists around us all the time now. The "old" media companies still have time, but the window is closing.

Have I mentioned Seth Godin?

2009-07-27T01:13:50Z

My friend and mentor Mark Widawer introduced me to Seth Godin. I'm forever grateful to Mark for doing so. In case you don't know, Seth Godin is a marketing genius, and someone whose ideas and principles you might want to take some time to learn if you're at all interested in the power of influencing others and becoming someone whom others follow. One of his more recent posts is quite interesting, sent to me by my friend Patrick Shaw. It starts like this:

I posted about an alternative MBA program that I was going to launch. Unaccredited, residential, free and six months long. A new way to learn about a new way of doing business. We're almost done, and it has exceeded every expectation I had for it, and I think there are some broader lessons worth sharing.

Continue reading about it at Seth's blog.

Man Turns Tragedy Into Destiny

2009-07-11T19:55:28Z

Dave Carroll undoubtedly got mad when he saw his guitar being thrown by an airline employee for United. He undoubtedly got mad when everyone passed the buck and wouldn't work to help him get the guitar repaired or replaced. But rather than telling all his friends not to fly United, Dave took a different approach. He produced something quality from the experience. A music video. It's a catchy little tune, and the video was produced very well. And now, as a result, United wants to listen to Dave. And they want to use this video as an instructional video for the luggage handlers. And Taylor wants to look at his guitar and see about fixing it.]]> and FOXNews Dave Carroll is now being blogged about by thousands of people, and his music career has officially REALLY taken a huge step forward. He could have just made a quick little video and said "United Airlines Sucks." Instead he took his talent and made a really quality product. Millions of people who wouldn't heard about Dave have now heard about him. 2.1 million views as of this posting. It's a great response on Dave's part to what could have turned out to be nothing other than a simple frustrating experience for Dave. Really great job of dealing with the situation. Here's his video response to all the media frenzy.

Social Proof: Random Dude Starts A Dance Party

2009-07-08T17:54:15Z

If you can get a few random people to join your mission, and do so with passion, that's all it takes to change the (mental, emotional, and physical) landscape of an event. If you can change the landscape of an event, you can change the landscape of a culture. If you can change the landscape of a culture, you can change the landscape of a city. If you can change the landscape of a city, you can change the landscape of a region, a state, and a country. Social proof reigns supreme.]]> Matt J McDonald (where I saw this) had this to say:

Yes you have to be brave to be the leader, yes it's scary to be the first one, and yes it's lonely waiting for everyone else, but this guy wasn't worried about any of that. He was just trying to rock out. If people joined him? Fantastic. If not? No big deal, he's still going to go at it just as hard. It's tough, when you're doing something new, not to be concerned if everyone jumps on the bandwagon. "Guy Who Started The Dance Party" sounds much cooler than "Random Weirdo Dancing By Himself". But in all honesty, sometimes it doesn't matter.

Seth Godin (a GENIUS, btw) had this to say:

My favorite part happens just before the first minute mark. That's when guy #3 joins the group. Before him, it was just a crazy dancing guy and then maybe one other crazy guy. But it's guy #3 who made it a movement. Initiators are rare indeed, but it's scary to be the leader. Guy #3 is rare too, but it's a lot less scary and just as important. Guy #49 is irrelevant. No bravery points for being part of the mob. We need more guy #3s.

Quotes from Thomas Jefferson

2009-02-25T16:37:38Z

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe. Thomas Jefferson The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. Thomas Jefferson It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world. Thomas Jefferson I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. Thomas Jefferson My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. Thomas Jefferson No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. Thomas Jefferson The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government. Thomas Jefferson The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Thomas Jefferson To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. Thomas Jefferson Very Interesting Quote in light of the present financial crisis, it's interesting to read what Thomas Jefferson said in 1802: 'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.'

You and I are SO Rich!

2009-02-16T21:00:59Z

Maybe it's been prompted by the news I've heard lately that we're in some sort of global economic crisis, but I've been thinking a lot about how much wealth the average person has. And not just in America or in the Western world, but all around the world, we have so much wealth. If you don't believe me, try this one on for size. Assuming you are a sighted person... think you're seeing, may only be a part of what's actually there.

Proud Parents
(Hint: Baby)

Look Out

Woof - Woof!

The Lovers

Einstein's Sirens

The Many faces of a tree (There are 10)

]]>

Making an ebook/book cover - COOL!

2009-02-06T10:41:49Z

Here's what I learned yesterday... For the longest time, I have wanted to know how to make a graphic look like a book cover. I've always hired this kind of work out and spent anywhere from $50-$200 each time I've had it done. I don't mind paying for it, especially when the quality is good, but when I get back an ebook cover that looks junky, it has made me wonder if I should just learn how to make ebook covers myself. Well, I had occasion to do so yesterday. Jackie Harsha (a member on our GreenJoyment site) wrote an ebook (and print book) about how to cook using solar cooking. It's a great idea, and something we've been doing with GreenJoyment for a while now (making solar cookers and cooking with the sun), so it's a natural fit to be selling Jackie's book through our site. But Jackie didn't have an affiliate program, or any way to track the traffic we were sending her.]]> http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/water-reflection/page-2.php Other stuff I looked at in the process: http://www.pure-graphics.org/page.php?id=110 http://www.bookcoveromatic.com/photoshop-tutorials/How-to-Make-an-Ezine-Cover-for-Ezine-Articles.html http://www.emmettlollis.com/tutorials/photoshop/photoshop-book.asp http://tutorial.jcwcn.com/2D-Graphics/Photoshop/Basics/2008-06-15/9042.html http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/News/Feature/Graphic-Thoughts-My-Top-10-Photoshop-Moves,-Pt.-2-52070.htm So there you go! Now go make your own ebook or box cover for your products. I think anyone can do it with Photoshop and these tutorials. Oh, and what do you think of my cover?

Matters of the heart

2008-12-30T07:42:18Z

Stuff I was reading about yesterday and today that totally fascinated me regarding heart transplants... http://www.mindpowernews.com/TransplantMemories.htm http://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart-head-heart-interactions.html

How 7 Negative People Could Have Been My Anchor

2008-10-28T07:06:28Z

When you put yourself out into the world, you open yourself up to all kinds of people. Jim Rohn says that there are really only about 7 mean, nasty people in the world. (He goes on to say, tongue in cheek, that it's important to remember that if it seems like there are more than 7 of them, it's because those mean, nasty people move around a lot.) This page is where I will chronicle my encounters with those "7" people, as well as those who I, apparently on the wrong day, offended in some way. I'm making this post, initially, about 7 people who have proven to be just absolutely fascinating to me over the past few years as I've put myself out there more and more. But there will likely be others I will add to this page. I believe, and will continue to believe, that people are generally good. That 99.99% of people in the world are hopeful about the future, that they want a better life for their children, and that they work in life to benefit themselves, but that they realize the best way to benefit themselves is by benefitting others. I have a page on my web site for some of the nice things people have said to and about me. You might call this page the antithesis of that page. I don't like to dwell on the negative aspects of life. At the same time, I think it's important for people to understand that the journey to what you want in life requires a little bit of toughness, (sometimes a lot of toughness), and that people will try to knock you down, even (and for some people *especially*) when you give it your best. This is therapeutic for me... Instead of replying back to these people (which I usually do anyway with something very nice, as you'll see in a couple places below), I get to share their rudeness and fascinating"ness" with you. I have not altered, nor edited, their responses in any way (except for vulgar language where noted, and removing their email addresses and other identifying information). It's not all roses when you put yourself out into the world. But it's worth it. There has been such a significantly greater number of nice and helpful people, and people I've been able to help, along the way, than negative and sad people. Because I've put myself out there, I've met way more amazing people, and had so many more amazing experiences, than run-ins with people like those you're about to meet.]]> 26. Jan. 2010 Background - We have a property that we rent. Our tenant decided to move out 6 months early, so we posted it on Craigslist. Within 1 hour of posting the house, I received this bit of delightfulness from a complete stranger.

I just felt the need to tell you I think you're nuts. I've been watching rentals on craigslist for months, and today I saw yours. You are asking $1500 a month for a 1400 sq ft house? That's ridiculous and I truly hope that no one rents your house because you would be ripping them off and taking advantage of someone that may not know any better. Shame on you. Furthermore you have the gall to try to get another $150 a month for the hot tub?? PLEASE! I have a hot tub in my home, the only expense is the electricity to RUN it and that would be paid by your tenant I'm sure. Other than that, the chemicals needed to maintain are NOT expensive. You really are out of your mind, or just plain STINGY. And if you do manage to rent your little prison cell for $1500 a month, I hope the guilt of robbing some poor family eats you alive. Yours truly

I responded by saying:

Wow. I wasn't even going to reply, but I'm curious. What do YOU feel would be the right price to rent out this 3BR/2BA home in a decent neighborhood in Parker? By writing emails like this, knowing very little about the actual facts, you could seriously cause someone harm. You don't know me... or know that I spend than $1631.27/month just to keep up with a mortgage on that property, and actually would go into the hole every month renting out this home at $1500/month. - Nor do you know that I am a little negotiable on the price for the right person... - Nor do you know the situation with our current tenant, and the undue strain that's created in our lives... - Nor the steps we've taken in our lives to get to where we even can have a home to be renting out to others... - Nor anything about me, or the house, or that other comparable houses in the neighborhood are renting for more than that right now... Hot tub - What I know is that when we lived in the house for 3 years prior to renting it out, there were several months (in the winter months) when the electricity alone cost an additional $130/month. Because of that, we drained it during the summer months when we used it less. Does the ad say the tenant would pay the $150 directly to us? Or might it be (perhaps we could state more clearly) that we're letting a tenant know the hot tub will cost them $150/month if they choose to run it. I'm sorry that life has treated you so poorly that you have some weird need to beat up on complete strangers. In the future, I'd advise being a little more gentle in the ways you choose to communicate. We are real people on this end, receiving your message(s). You might entertain this thought before sending another email like the one you just sent. Perhaps some people are receiving your messages even louder and clearer than you intend them to come across, based on the things they're dealing with in their lives at the moment. Regardless of the way you've treated me, I wish you success in whatever endeavors you pursue. Jonathan

08/07/2009 I didn't even bother responding to this one. (They gave me a fake email address anyway j suk mi nutz @ gmail.com) The back story is that I posted an ad on Craigslist stating that I was looking for someone whom I could teach. I wanted to teach them how to do marketing blog commenting in a way that drives traffic to web sites and builds relationships effectively. I posted the job ad on Craigslist, saying that it would take 30 minutes/day and that I was looking for someone who would work for free for the first 30 days while getting their feet wet. After that I would be willing to pay up to $9/hour. My goal was to weed people out from the beginning. My plan was to spend 7 days teaching someone and start working with them after that, actually paying them to do the work. But anyone willing to volunteer to do this for 30 days while learning would have a deep love of, and/or interest in, doing marketing online. I also said that they needed to be a native English speaker or have native English fluency. I guess someone took that personally, and took the time to send me the following (with no return address, giving me no real opportunity to address their concerns):

Hello, I just read your add for a marketing blog commenter position and feel like I really fit the bill. I'm familiar with XML,RSS,GR,GA,HTML,CSS,IDFK,GFY, and SMN, with a strong emphasis on SMN. Not only do I LOVE business marketing, I also love being bent over by a seasoned internet marketer looking to exploit desperate college students in a down market. Do I get a handjob after the first 30 - 45 days also? I'm actually a non-native English speaker and am deeply offended by your ethnocentric xenophobia and sordid racial and cultural prejudice. I'm half dot / half feather mother f*cker, and I don't appreciate you excluding a traditional Indian Indian from your employee search. When can I start? Thank you for your time and consideration, Johnny Sukminutz (my family name is Habib Who Sells Slurpees In The Evening, but Anglo bastards like you Americanized it when I came over in 1998) PS -- I'm wicket smaht!

07/30/2009 Jim is (was?) part of the community GreenJoyment. We sent out an email promoting a product about how to build your own solar panels. I followed it up with an email 3 days later, saying "In case you missed my previous email, here's a reminder email. (2 emails total.) Jim sent back the following.

In case i missed your other e mails????Don't make me laugh, how could i miss any of them as there are so f*cking many of them. Just how desperate are you? Stop pestering me for money for something you got for nothing. There really is not a sucker born every minute...only idiots trying to hustle a buck on the internet with some copied plans and other bullshit that they grabbed from the internet to begin with. Why would any one pay you for something they can get from tons of other places for free?Take me off your sucker list!

I responded by saying:

Hi Jim, I do appreciate your honest feedback. Honestly. It helps us improve. But wow. All I can think about your email is, "How pleasant this person must be". Nice to meet you too. Have you seen this post on our web site? http://www.greenjoyment.com/how-to-build-your-own-solar-panel-solar-cell-electricity.html Free, STEP-BY-STEP instructions for building your own solar panel. Check it out for yourself. We plan to have 50 or 100 posts like this in the next year.

I then gave Jim about 8 links with 100% free resources where he could learn how to build his own wind turbine, his own beer can solar heater, etc. etc. I ended the email very cordially and apologized if he felt like he was getting too many emails and that he was free to click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email we send out. Jim responded by saying:

If you appreciate my feedback so much why send me a sarcastic e mail?I am a pleasant person and i just don't appreciate your internet bullsh*t,It's almost as bad as Nigerian scamming.If i was interested in throwing money away i would let you know. You come across as very un professional and hard up. You might want to work on your business skills and spend less time bothering people with your spam. Just a thought.

I responded back with:

Jim, My email wasn't intended as sarcasm. I'm not sure how it could have been taken sarcastically, and I apologize if it came across that way. Every bit of what I sent you was intended with sincerity. By the way, all of it is free as well. I spent time putting together free resources that I thought you would appreciate and be able to use. There is nothing for you to buy in any of the links I sent you. Just good, free, useable information. You are welcome to stay part of the GreenJoyment community if you would like. However, at this point, it seems we are probably better off if we part ways, as I don't know how I can help you or offer you more than what I have offered already. I wish you the best in whatever endeavors you choose. Regards, Jonathan

Jim responded the next day with:

You really are not very professional are you? I'm welcome to stay but it seems like we are better off to part ways?Dude, we were never together and i can see by your lack of business smarts we never will be.If you just don't waste any more of my time we can end on that note. as far as you sending a few links to me, thank you but if you had not just used that as another chance to spam me it would have been more personal and helpful. Good luck to you and please stop bothering me with your unwanted e mail's. BTW. if you say something like wow....all i can think about is how pleasant this person must be is a very good example of snide sarcasm.

Sometimes people really don't see eye to eye. To Jim's credit, I really did think to myself (in a completely non-snide, but definitely sarcastic way,) "How pleasant this person must be." But at least Jim backed off on the F-Bombs to end our conversation. I didn't bother responding, as it was clear that Jim wanted to have the last word, and I was happy to let him have it.

12/24/2008 Sent to us at our GreenJoyment web site email address, after we provided lots of information for free

Name: Alan Fielding Comments: Yes - I went to your site to see how you would teach to make solar panels. The copper plate is interesting but not effective. Did I learn something useable, NO. Composte Idea is good but your information is bad. In the composting process nitrogen is used in the breakdown of the plant material. When you finish, you do have many micro's and support minerals, but very little nitrogen. Plants do not grow well without nitrogen. So in real life you composting idea without adding nitrogen is bunk. One reason CFL's use less energy is they put out less light. I think light is the real idea of a light bulb. They are bad in cold weather also. I use them only because of their long life. You should try some of your ideas before teaching BUNK.

Hey Alan, I'm sorry that you have had such a negative experience with us. I'm also sorry for the delayed reply... I just haven't known how to reply to such an angry response that you sent to us. We do our best to teach what we know to the best of our ability, and we'll be happy to share your information about composting with anyone who is interested in learning about it. In fact, if you would like to write up something about the importance of nitrogen in composting, I'll be happy to share it on the blog and credit you as the person who wrote it. Again, my apologies if you felt or feel in any way wronged by the free information we have provided. Regards, Jonathan

12/01/2008 I have not edited a single character of this email, send to us at our GreenJoyment web site email address.

ive learned that you are the biggest fraud on this earth and don't everbother me again i simply asked you what are the ingrediance 0f the solar panel and i dont need pages of your garbage i suggest that you make a fist and if you are right hand rev your arm clockwise and if you are left hand do the same in reverse reve three times or more and ram your thumb up your rectum and suck on it. good by

(I couldn't make this up, even if I wanted to.)

10/28/2008 and the email that made me actually write this post, instead of just thinking about writing it, comes from Cindi. Cindi requested a free digital copy of chapter 1 of my book on How To Heal Your Own Scar Tissue. Never mind that the book has helped hundreds of people lessen the effects of the scar tissue in their bodies. Never mind that she's getting all of chapter 1 for free. On day 2, she unsubscribed. And then she took the time to drop me the following LOVELY email.

What a "F"ing waste of time reading that dribbbbbbbbbbbbbbble was. wish I had that part of my life back. did not learn one needed thing on dealing with scar tissue. You sure like to hear yourself talk!!!!

The funniest thing about this email is that the 2nd day email (which was right below her lovely response to me when she sent it) talks about collagen and elastin, the building blocks of basically everything in our bodies, and teaches anyone how to understand the basics of how they form. It's really the only way to really heal your own scarring. To me, that understanding is crucial, and I've been told by other people that my explanation finally makes it understandable to them. To Cindi, apparently it was "f" ing dribble. (I had never met nor talked with Cindi before. This was my first interaction with her.) I guess Cindi will now go and investigate her other options, which include going under a surgeon's knife (often causing more scarring), or applying $120/tube creams and gels, which she'll need to apply 3x daily to see results. I responded: "Cindi, Thank-you for your lovely comments. It is good feedback, though I would have liked to have received it with a slightly nicer tone attached. I wish I could have been of more service to you, and I'm sorry I wasn't. I wish you the best in whatever future endeavors you engage in. Kind Regards, Jonathan Kraft, CMT"

8/12/2008 I think this one is still my favorite. I wanted to become an affiliate for a Telcom company. Walter, from this company, struck me as odd. But I didn't really mind. Lots of successful people are odd, and I just figured that it wasn't important in the big scheme of things. But then, in order to approve my application, Walter wanted me to send him a form which gave this company blanket authorization to debit from my account if/when I sold calling cards at my retail location. I don't even have a retail location. I told Walter via email, and then over the phone, that I wasn't comfortable filling out the form. I asked him if there was some other way we could work together. The story is long, and involved a couple of odd emails from Walter, but in the end, I sent Walter this email... Hi Walter, I've decided not to partner with [NAMEOFCOMPANY] right now. Something just feels off about the relationship. Although I can't pinpoint it, I just am having hesitation every time I go to send this documentation to you. Thank you for the time you've spent up to this point, and I wish you the best in your endeavors. Warmest, Jonathan The response I received back was (and this is completely unaltered from the original)

Ah Yes, the kid who does not even have a business license or office is afraid to have an account with a public company. We sell our services in a 1,800 store chain under privet label. If you knew how to use the internet for research instead of clicking for $$$$ you would know something about Telecents. Why don't you go to the trade shows that deal with telecom and learn something about the services your trying to list? Or go back to school so you can get a real job...........

My response: Walter, I decided it wasn't a good fit. As I'm sure you're aware, that happens all the time in business. I let you know in a way that let our business connection remain open. As it is, I'm sure you won't mind my sharing your email with a few of my friends in the Telcom business. Regardless of how poorly you've treated me, I still wish you the best in your business.(May I recommend that you read a book called "How To Win Friends And Influence People?" It may help you learn to deal with "kids" like me who are "afraid" to have accounts with public companies and need "real" jobs.) All the best to you, Jonathan

11/05/2006 Mietek subscribed to learn more about our Kilimanjaro climb. When we sent Mietek an email, this response came back from the email address he used to sign up.

Dear Sir or Madam, Your are sending your SPAM Emails to the worng address. Regards, Mietek *** THIS IS GENERATED BY AUTORESPONDER***

10/13/2006 In 2003, I took pictures at a wet bikini contest at an outdoor concert called Country Jam, and posted them online. For a long time, that was the most visited page on Strive4impact.com (by more than double any other page on the site - 10's of thousands of visitors monthly). So, I had the idea that I should be collecting addresses so that I could email these visitors again in the future. I didn't know what I was going to send them (I don't promote porn), but I had heard it was important to gather email addresses of visitors to your web site. I also put a comments field on the form, primarily because I didn't know what I was doing at the time, and the form came with a comments field. Here's the edited version of what was in the comments field of someone who CHOSE to sign up:

comments: f*** you and your fat b***ches ur a dumb a**hole

10/13/2006 I used to have a blog at a site called CommuteFromHome.com. As of this post, I'm still working on putting something together there. It's going to be great. The content and people I've interviewed for it just gave some amazing information. Anyway, this isn't a sales pitch. At the time in 2006, I was just sharing ideas and thoughts on how I had been able to give up my day job and was offering whatever help I could to others to be able to do the same. Michael filled out the form that was on CommuteFromHome. I don't remember what the form said to get him to put his information in, but basically I wasn't doing anything with the list... again, I'd just heard that I should be collecting email addresses, so that's what I was attempting to do. Check out what Michael put in the comments field.

Hi Jon,So how is your business going? Are you a millionaire yet? I am sure you are probably not because if you were why would you share your secrets/wealth with the world? Wouldn't that be counter productive? I mean if you are sharing your wealth with so many people, that would diminish your wealth which would kind of make you a pretty stupid businessman. Take this example, if you know of a stock in which you have inside information that it will rise dramatically due to a huge merger or aquisition would you tell everyone on the net to buy that stock before it goes up? If your answer was yes then you truly are a dumb ass and you don't deserve to be a millionaire. If you said no then you are correct because in the other situation your actions of telling everyone would highly dilute the value of each share in the market. If you really want to be a millionaire drop me a line and I will give you a few tips (for free) on what you really need to do. So cut the bullshit on your site and get a real job!Regards,Michael

People seem to be all about this "real job" thing. I don't know what a "real" job is. But based on what I do understand of that concept and mindset, I would say that in most people's definition of "real" job, I haven't had one since January 2004. I'm not rich, but since then, I've gotten married, bought a house, bought a car, traveled to 3 continents and more than 10 countries... I guess it's worked out alright for me at my "fake" job.

10/10/2006 Calvin filled out the form at CommuteFromHome. I did have one autoresponder message in there that basically said, "Thanks for requesting more information. I'll be in touch with more information soon, but if you'd like to visit the site, please come back and see us at www.CommuteFromHome.com." Calvin responded to this with the following:

jump off a cliff

The Black Door

2008-10-24T06:11:49Z

Several generations ago, during one of the most turbulent of the desert wars in the Middle East, a spy was captured and sentenced to death by a general in the Persian army. The general, a man of intelligence and compassion, had adopted a strange and unusual custom in such cases. He permitted the condemned person to make a choice. The prisoner could either face the firing squad or pass through the Black Door. As the moment the execution drew near, the general ordered the spy be brought before him for a short, final, interview, the primary purpose of which was to receive the answer of the doomed man to the query: "What shall it be - the firing squad or the Black Door?" This was not an easy decision and the prisoner hesitated, but soon made it known that he preferred the firing squad to the unknown horrors that might wait for him behind the ominous and mysterious door. Not long thereafter, a volley of shots in the courtyard announced that the grim sentence had been fulfilled. The general, staring at his boots, turned to his aide and said, "You see how it is with men; they will always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet I gave him his choice. "What lies beyond the Black Door?" asked the aide. "Freedom," replied the General, "and I've known only a few men brave enough to take it." The story illustrates the situation many people face each day - a choice between the known and the unknown. Few of them have the courage to come alive, to stop being engulfed in a sea of mediocrity - humbled and dulled by their failure to recognize their own potential. They lack the guts to stop living their lives in a mentally chloroformed condition in that ignoble mass of humanity, the uncommitted. William James said, "The one thing that will guarantee the successful conclusion of a doubtful undertaking is faith in the beginning that you can do it." If you keep doing what you always did, you'll keep getting what you always got. You must learn to THINK differently to get a different result. Commit to the process of change.

Brian, Jamie, The Dogs, and Ike

2008-09-15T06:48:34Z

Brian took a video camera and surveyed the damage caused at their home, in Montgomery, TX, caused by Hurrican Ike. But the video was rather large. So I re-rendered it, added some music, and some quick thoughts. If you are having trouble with the above video, you might try downloading it, by using your right mouse button. Right Click here, and then choose "Save Target As" or "Save File As". Save it on your computer, and then watch it from there.

$29 For Water?

2008-09-03T14:57:41Z

This year (hard as it is for me to believe), I'll be turning 29 on September 27. (For future reference (and so that no one has to ask how old I am) every year after this year I'll ALSO be turning 29.) Some of you don't normally buy me a gift for my birthday, but this year I am doing something special. I'm asking friends and family of ours to consider participating in charity:water's September birthday project to build wells in Ethiopia and give the people there clean water. I'm asking for my age in dollars, (which would be, in this case, $29) or whatever you can give (even if it's just a couple of dollars/pounds/euros/etc). 100% of everything we raise goes directly to build wells, and is MATCHED by another organization (founded by actor/director Matt Damon) This matching means that $20 donated = $40 going towards building wells. You can complete the process in less than 3 minutes. Please take a moment and visit my page by clicking the graphic below: To see why I'm supporting the campaign, watch the 3-minute trailer above (If you haven't already). Thanks everyone! Jonathan

Content Management: This is the first new post!

2008-07-29T20:05:19Z

http://blog.strive4impact.com (or at least I think so.)]]> I've had strive4impact.com since January, 2002, but this is the first time I'll be using a content management system to tie things together and keep it updated. That's really exciting to me. And I'm a geek for thinking it's exciting. But that's okay.