Giving May Be More Important Now Than Ever - What is the Critical Enabling Factor?

In these times of uncertainties, nervousness and massive layoffs people are very concerned, and rightfully so. The causes of this economic turmoil will be debated for years but I think it is safe to say that it all boils down to too much risk, to much greed and too much ego at the top. Nevertheless, it is what it is and we have to deal with it. Companies are laying off unprecedented numbers of employees at a time, and this is causing many people to be in a real state of need. In this article I would like for us to consider what areas we give to, how we give and what the critical enabling factor for giving is.

First of all, consider the areas that we normally consider giving toward:

Our Community
Our Country
Our Faith/Charity
Our Family

There are three basic types of contribution: time, financial, labor/work. All three of these have a special area of importance. Consider the following three hypothetical situations regarding giving toward your family.

1. Your niece who has recently had her first child was let go from her job. She and her husband have been struggling trying to survive on one income and are having a very hard time. She has a job interview lined up but has no baby sitter for a couple of days as her normal baby sitter is on vacation. Here is an excellent opportunity for a donation of time to help your niece out in a pinch. No, it will not be easy watching the little 18 month old who is not feeling well for 4 hours from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., right during supper time. Realize, this is what your nice needs right now. She needs help and needs it now. She needs your time.

2. Your cousin, who is married and has two children had a good job but was let go seven months ago. He has been in the house he is living in now for 10 years and has a moderate house payment. Unfortunately he was in a very specialized field that paid well, but with current state of the economy finding a job is hard. His severance package was only for three months and his unemployment benefits ran out after six months. His oldest child is a sophomore in college and his two younger children are both in high school. He has literally done everything he can to cut costs, you have seen it and you are aware of it. Yet, you know from talking with him that he probably will not be able to make his next house payment. He does have several interviews scheduled as he has been diligent in his job search efforts. He just needs a boost. Can anyone afford to give him a financial boost and help him with his rent for this month? He needs financial assistance.

3. Your brother, who lives on the north side of town, could see the handwriting on the wall. His company of 210 employees one year ago is now down to 41. Profits have dropped severely. It was clearly stated that 12 more people were going to be let go within the next month. He has only been with the company for one year and he is almost positive he is next on the list to go. He made a bold, but it sure seemed like a smart move and decided to take a job with a different company south of town. The only problem is that he will have to move from his apartment as the commute would be just too far. He needs some labor assistance. He needs some help moving.

Three types of giving: time, finances, and labor/work are all equally critical at different times. But what is the one enabling factor for all three of these? What is the one thing that makes this all possible? The answer to that is health, good health. Without good health, we don't have time to spare; we don't have the ability to give good effort or labor; and without good health we cannot earn money to share. Let's not overlook our health in these times of economic uncertainty. In fact, let's pay special attention to maintaining and building our health so that we can not only withstand the pressures and stresses that will come our way but also so that we can give to others to help them in times of need.

I hope all is going well,
Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstandig.com/

Positive Thinking and Feeling Great! (Part II)

I firmly believe that diet and exercise are unquestionable keys to good health. And, probably most of you do too. Intrinsically, deep down inside, we all know this. My point is this, when start eating a more healthy diet and implement a sensible exercise program we know that our health will improve.

We need to keep our thoughts at a higher plain when disappointments occur. If we don't lose those 10 pounds in a month (as the advertisement told us we would) or we don't get those super ripped abs in 90 days, we cannot get discouraged. We know what we are doing is right. We have to keep it up. Like it or not, weight is not as evanescent as the advertisements tell us. If we get a cold or the flu, we cannot get discouraged. The right habits that we are now practicing did not cause it.

I absolutely abhor the avalanche of advertisements that this country faces that are outright false. The mendacity of some companies is appalling. There are so many ads that make losing weight, gaining huge muscle mass, developing ripped abs and getting in Superman like condition seem so easy just by taking their magic potion or doing their "quick" exercise routines.

Conclusion:
Living life feeling outstanding comes from practicing good habits daily. To be successful in this quest it is imperative that we make positive thinking one of those habits. Doing the right thing leads to victory. Healthy people don't get there by magic. Positive thinking makes doing the right thing a whole lot easier.

Here's to good health.
Tom Thorne
www.FeelingOutstanding.com

Feeling Great--It Take Willpower, Determination and a Hard Head (Part II)

It seems that everything is working against the rules of good health in today's society. For example:

Here on the east coast, the good TV shows come on at 10 p.m. The network channel news broadcasts don't start until 11:00 p.m.

• The 40 hour work week we grew up with is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Many salaried employees find themselves toiling away at an 45-55 hours per week, aned some even much more. And this is what is expected. Do you ever get a headache?


• It also seems like the drive to and from work keeps getting longer. If we work 50 hours per week and spend 2 hours per day driving to and from work, that's a total of 60 hours. A lot of time. What happened to that utopian society that was predicted 30 years ago? And many of us have to put in time on weekends as well. The telecommuter, who has the luxury of working form home is some times no better off. When I telecommute I often start an hour early and work late. If I have my PC at home over the weekend it's almost guaranteed that I'll log in for some work time.


• When I was a kid, it seems that I rarely had a lot of homework. I did most of the work during class. Through their school years, my kids (the last of which will graduate this year) were often bringing home 2-3 hours of homework per night. And guess what that means, my wife and I, as woefully prepared as we were at times, got to help them!


• The extracurricular activities that kids are involved in today are outstanding, but they are also very time consuming. Gone are the days when our kids could play an unsupervised game of baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer or football in the yard or neighborhood park with some friends. Now everything has got to be a big coordinated effort with uniforms and umpires and crazy parents sitting in the stands barking about every call the referee or umpire makes.

What I'm trying to say is that the pressures on our time are enormous. Sometimes we wonder who has time to exercise? It definitely takes willpower and determination to eat well and keep up a regular workout program. In my next blog, I would like to make a few simple suggestions that may make a seemingly impossible task at least a little easier.

At Feelingoutstanding.com we are all about trying to help with our everyday lives. We are not going to offer a miracle drug that will cure all your ills at the drop of a hat. What we are going to suggest are proven, natural remedies that do help over time.

Here's to your helath, here's to Feeling Outstanding!
Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Feeling Great--It Take Willpower, Determination and a Hard Head (Part II)

Are you feeling outstanding today? How easy it is to wake up in the morning, get ready for work, pour a cup of coffee, grab a cinnamon roll, hop in the car and head off to work. Ah, that great and mesmerizing smell of that coffee. How scrumptious that cinnamon roll tastes. As we get to work, we lavish in a second or third cup, or maybe a soda. Now, we are ready to take on the world. Consider what we have just done. Was that really a nutritious breakfast?

What about lunch? A fast food burger or even a fast food salad laced with preservatives? Please don't misunderstand, I know there is a time and a place for fast food. I know that sometimes we find ourselves in precarious situations where fast or "junk" food is the only option. How often does that happen though?

Will Power and Determination
We are all aware of the basic rules of health; things like diet, exercise and sleep. We have heard these pronouncements again and again. But how many of us really put these good practices into action? It takes a lot of willpower and determination to stick to a balanced and healthy diet or a good exercise program. Or, to make sure that we get enough sleep. It seems that everything is working against the rules of good health in today's society. In my next blog we will take a look at a fews of the plethora of factors that seem to be working against us.

Keep on thinking the higher thoughts, don't be discouraged!
Tom Thorne
http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Today's Gas Prices - Is Their a Silver Lining?

I know that most of us are in the blues regarding the price of gas. I sure am. Even though the national average price has dropped to $3.67 per gallon it still hurts to fill up the car. This blog is about living life and feeling outstanding so see if their is any silver lining to this from the business standpoint.

As oil prices neared $150 a barrell costs seemed to increase for everything from jet fuel to plastic jars. The big question was how many companies would just fold up under this increased pressure?

The surprising answer is not many. The business men and women of this country continue to display amazing resilience. The concept of Theory Y employees that was proposed by Douglas McGregor back in 1960 has seemed to blossom as new ideas and ways to cut costs have been coming from all corners. And there have been a lot more cost cutting measures than just laying people off.

Granted, unemployment, which has jumped to a high in recent years of 5.6% is an issue, especially for those who are unemployed. But we also have to realize that throughout the mid 1990s up until very recently this country has been going through a period of great economic success. When I was in undergradute school at Indiana University in the late 1970s, 5% unemployment was considered to be 'normal.'

Productivity jumped by 4.3 percent in the April-June quarter. That's big news! My point is that with the many ingenious ideas that companies have developed to save money so the could stay in business and the productivity increases that have occured, when things turn for the better, companies should be in better shape.

In hard times as well as good times let's not forget about our health. Let's not forget to take care of ourselves, to eat right, exercise and take the nutritional supplements we need.

Here's to living life Feeling Outstanding.

Tom Thorne

www.FeelingOutstanding.com