THIS WEEK’S JOKE

In Chapter 29 of my book I talk about the importance of listening to understand; plus, active listening is one of the greatest compliments you can give someone.

SELF-HELP BOOKS

The Soul’s Whisper by Kimberly Verhamme, is aimed at children and it is a nice book to read to one’s child as well as generating some interesting discussions.  With that said, I have enjoyed reading it and found it has a lot of good reminders for adults too.  

CURRENT EVENTS

World Powerlifting Congress

Well, it has been a while since I went overseas to represent the United States of America, as you can see from the photo below taken in 1966.

(Major General Rosson promoting me to Specialist 5 while I was in Viet nam and he was the reason I went to college until I was in my mid-50s.  When that guy told you to go to college, you went.)

I’ll be leaving for Portugal this week as one of the members of Team USA for the World Powerlifting Congress’s 2015 World Championships in Portugal.  I can’t say this was a dream come true since I could never have imagined such an opportunity.  The point of all this is the importance of having friends around you to encourage you.  I was lucky to have:

Tony Mangino, who got me back in the gym years ago

(Tony’s not with us any longer, but I still have that trophy he is holding & I was with him when he won it)

Walter Crescentini, who  got me into competitive power lifting years ago.

(Walter coaching me during a bench press contest.  Walter also is no longer with us, but every time I am in a contest, I miss him greatly.)

(Walter, me & Tony’s brother Geno)

Art Little who had more faith in me that I could do this, than I had in myself.

I devoted Chapter 27 of my book to “Friends”.  The question for all of us is, “Are we the kind of friend that brings out the best in others, encourages them and are glad for their successes?  If we are, then we are extraordinary by helping others to become extraordinary.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK 

How often have you been told, I’m sorry but I just don’t have enough time.  Actually, we all get the same 24 hours a day.  Perhaps, those who say this are simply being polite.  Since saying they don’t have enough time is far nicer to hear than saying you or your request is not a priority.  In chapter 37 of my book, I stress how important it is to make good use of your time as well as mention some time saving tips.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

The Best Offer

Although this isn’t my usual type of movie, I thought this mystery suspense movie was well done.  As for lessons to be learned from this movie, it does relate to Chapter 40 of my book that talks about seeing what is there rather than what you want to be there.

 

A master auctioneer becomes obsessed with an extremely reclusive heiress who collects fine art.d (Source:  IMDB)

LAST WEEK POLL – Have you ever spoken to a famous person

It seems like many of us have actually spoken to an entertainer.  Close behind are those of us who have spoken to an author or artist, followed closely by those of us who have spoken to some other kind if famous person.

As for the impact of speaking with a famous person, there was a tie between those who thought it had a lasting impact and those who thought there was no impact.  However, a number of you thought speaking with a famous person has a impact for a little while.

THIS WEEK’S POLL 

In chapter 48 I talk about the importance of seeing the world, so I thought you might find it interesting to learn of all the places your fellow blog readers have been.

 

SONG OF THE WEEK

Monster Mash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2PoSljk8cE&feature=share

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE

I have never trained in a gym that did not have a picture of Arnold on its walls.  The discipline of the gym carries over to your outside activities.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

  

Arnold  Schwarzenegger; born July 30, 1947, is an Austrian-American actor, model, producer, director, activist, businessman, investor, writer, philanthropist, former professional bodybuilder, and politician. Schwarzenegger served two terms as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011.

Schwarzenegger began weight training at the age of 15. He won the Mr. Universe title at age 20 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest seven times. Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent presence in bodybuilding and has written many books and articles on the sport. He is widely considered to be among the greatest bodybuilders of all times as well as its biggest icon. Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon. Schwarzenegger’s breakthrough film was the sword-and-sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian in 1982, which was a box-office hit and resulted in a sequel.  In 1984, he appeared in James Cameron’s science-fiction thriller film The Terminator, which was a massive critical and box-office success. Schwarzenegger subsequently reprised the Terminator character in the franchise’s later installments in 1991, 2003, and 2015.[3][4][5] He appeared in a number of successful films, such as Commando (1985), The Running Man (1987), Predator (1987), Twins (1988), Total Recall (1990), Kindergarten Cop (1990) and True Lies (1994). He was nicknamed the “Austrian Oak” in his bodybuilding days, “Arnie” during his acting career, and “The Governator” (a portmanteau of “Governor” and “The Terminator”, one of his best-known movie roles).

BLOG

I always appreciate those that leave comments on my weekly posts and last week three of you were kind enough to live a comment.  Thank you very much.    Leaving a comment is easy, just click on “Leave A Comment”, which is immediately below the title of this week’s post.  And if instead of seeing “Leave A Comment”, you see “# Comments”, just click on that and scroll down to leave your comment.

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MY BOOK

My book can be purchased on-line from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million.  It is also available in a ebook format.  And if you have read my book, please leave an evaluation of it on Amazon.  Thank you.

http://www.amazon.com/Tired-Being-Ordinary-Are-You/dp/0990388697

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/im-tired-of-being-ordinary-are-you-wm-allen/1120528064?ean=9780990388692

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Im-Tired-Being-Ordinary/Wm-Allen/9780990388692?id=6429711012885