Archives for January 2008

- - - | written by Jason on 1/23/2008 | - - -

Lessons From the Guys Who Gave Us Hula Hoops

It's always sad when someone who impacted your childhood positively passes away. Obviously, parents, grandparents, teachers and coaches top the list. A loss can also be felt when a much-loved television personality (like Fred Rogers) dies. But what about the inventor of your favorite toy? Rich Knerr, co-founder of the toy company Wham-O, died last Friday, at the age of 82. His partner, Spud Melin passed away in 2002. Their first big hit was the hula hoop, of which 100 million were sold in just two years. That sounds like the makings of a true one-hit wonder, except for the fact that the duo …

- - - | written by Kim on 1/21/2008 | - - -

The Biggest Dreamer of All

Few people in history have exhibited the intense and authentic childlike qualities of Martin Luther King, Jr. Knowing the weight of his message and adversity he met on his journey of justice, he should've had a major case of Adultitis. I do not believe that he did, however. Here's why... He dreamed BIG. REALLY big! He was curious (and brave) enough ask some of the hardest questions ever asked. Why? Why not? What if? He was honest, speaking the truth that was in his heart, even when others weren't open to what he had to say. …

- - - | written by Kim on 1/17/2008 | - - -

Adultitis Fighting Tip: More Time

Innovative sites like Lifehacker and LifeTipsDaily try. Respected authors like Stephen Covey, Timothy Ferris, and David Allen continue to give it their best shot. No one has successfully managed to add more time to our daily ration of 1,440 minutes a day. Until NOW. I am excited to share that there are now more than 24 hours in a single day. Woo Hoo! You can thank the striking folks from the WGA (Writer's Guild of America). Yep, since the strike started on November 5th, they have added hours to our week. In our household, we've received six additional hours a week, which adds up to be …

- - - | written by Kim on 1/16/2008 | - - -

In Search of Good News

Is it just me or does watching the nightly news make you want to jump off a cliff? Filling my head with images of tragedies, war, and political fighting is not my idea of a natural transition to a peaceful night of sleep. It's no surprise studies show that tuning into the news leaves viewers needing psychological intervention to get back to a relaxed and healthy state of mind. Yikes! No wonder Adultitis is so common and widespread. My childlike optimism refuses to believe that the ratio of good to bad news is that far off. Somewhere along the line, producers decided that bad news sells …

- - - | written by Jason on 1/15/2008 | - - -

What Does Bill Gates Know That You Don’t?

I am a die-hard Apple dork and I don't much care for anything made by Microsoft. But I have to give Bill Gates credit for at least one thing: he doesn't take himself too seriously. If ever there was a dude who could be expected to take himself seriously, it would be Bill Gates. I mean, the guy is as smart as a whip, changed the face of computing on the planet Earth, and is a gajillionaire to boot. (By the way, whoever decided that whips are smart?) This video from this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) demonstrates Gates fun side, which is often overshadowed by his über-wealthy …

- - - | written by Kim on 1/14/2008 | - - -

Pokey Mania

In our speaking programs Jason and I share tons of tips (many from The Escape Plan) to give our audiences realistic ideas to bring back into their busy lives to help them stress less and have more fun. It's one thing to talk about all of this... and it's an entirely different thing to actually do something about it. We love talking to individuals afterwards as they share what action steps they are planning to adopt immediately on their fight against Adultitis. One idea is the game "Hide Pokey." Some of you long-time podcast listeners may remember this from one of our shows in '05. You all …

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- - - | written by Kim on 1/12/2008 | - - -

Just a Bit of Silliness, Really

On New Year's Day Jason and I played a fun game with our family called Quelf. The game is described as "Insanity in a box!" It was outrageously fun and just plain silly. At one point I had to slow dance with my sister-in-law. We laughed so hard, switching between the "high school" slow dance (girl's hands around the guy's neck and the guy's hands around the girl's waist) versus the "classic" slow dance style. Another wacky thing I had to do was talk like a pirate for about fifteen minutes. Anyone who knows me well knows that my fake accents are way off. Terrible, really. If I had to make …

- - - | written by a Guest Star on 1/12/2008 | - - -

an interview with…Mark Sanborn

(This is an excerpt of an interview from Kim & Jason magazine with Mark Sanborn, the best-selling author of the “Fred Factor” on balancing work and family, having fun amidst the busyness, and lessons we can learn from kids) Kim & Jason: Your book, The Fred Factor, contains the example of a remarkable postman named Fred to demonstrate how passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. We found the book to be very inspiring and the techniques very simple. You make the benefits of being a “Fred” a no-brainer. In your opinion, why don’t we see more “Freds” …

- - - | written by Jason on 1/11/2008 | - - -

Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Some smart person once said, "If we keep doing what we've always done, we'll keep getting what we've always got." And I know it was Einstein who said in a similar vein, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Makes sense, right? Any time we try something different (with the admirable and sensible intent of seeing different results), we can expect the road to be a bit bumpy, because change is always uncomfortable. If we wanted to be comfortable, the best way would be to just keep doing what we've always done (and keep seeing the same …

- - - | written by Jason on 1/9/2008 | - - -

Say Cheese

I found this picture on the blog of my buddy John. Hilarious, in a sick and twisted sort of way. People in Wisconsin take cheese very seriously, but I have yet to see any playgrounds featuring this particular piece of equipment. Notice I said yet. …

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