Boca Party Supplies reopening

Good news! Boca Party Supplies, will be reopening in February, '09. This is exciting! I have been able to find a new hosting platform and credit card processor that will make shopping better, easier, and cheaper than with the previous ones. I have also initiated new relationships with my suppliers. It will allow me to reopen the store and offer the same quality products from the same manufacturers at lower prices and with improved service. The site will reopen sometime in February and I will give you the date when we get closer. There will be that same features you saw before, like the 'Hints and Tips' page where there were guides to giving wonderful formal parties and tips on appropriate dress for casual to formal occasions. And there will be much more.

Boca Party Supplies was on page one of Google for most of its formal party pieces and the 'Hints and Tips' page was on page one for "Formal Party Blogs", last year. I am looking forward to recapturing those spots and getting back to serving my wonderful customers and new ones too.

Enjoy the Holiday Season and I wish each of you the happiest and most prosperious New Year yet. Remember, many of the most successful and prosperous business's were started in the worst financial times. Make 2009 your new start.

Happy New Year!

Bob

Water from Air

I want to tell you about a product I saw this week and get your ideas.  Yesterday my friend Jon and I went to see a new water maker that is being developed here in St. Petersburg. Its called Aquventus, and the model we saw demonstrated uses new technology to take water from the air and make it available for drinking. This machine makes about 20 gallons of water a day depending on the humidity.

 

There are several applications for this technology.  Large units are used in military operations, disaster areas, islands where potable water is scarce, and many other places. The size I saw is good for home use for a family, a small office, medium sized boats, and others, to replace bottled water. And they are considering developing a smaller unit for individual use.  

I was very impressed with the product and am looking forward to them becoming available for purchase. There are other companies that make these air to water units and after doing a search of them on the web, I wasn't impressed by them. I was however, impressed with the Aquaventus unit. In the short time we looked at it, it generated about a pint of water. 

Bottled water is expensive and creates a nightmare in the problem of getting rid of the bottles. Getting the big bottles creates the problems lugging and lifting the bottles and their storage. The air to water solution will solve these and other issues and saves a ton of money. What do you pay for water these days?  How would pennies a gallon compare with what you pay now?

What do you think? Would you want one of these units if it was available today? Let us know..

Great New Children's Books

Reading to children is one of the most powerful tools an adult can use to help them grow academically, emotionally, and socially. Since I first decided to open Buster's Books, my bookstore on the web, one of my greatest desires has been to offer high quality children's books. Great news!! I found a new author who writes books that fit the bill. His name is Michael Sterns. He has completed the first two books of a series about a mystical Indian named Kokopelli. As the reader follows Kokopelli's travels they learn the messages of environmentalism, appreciation of nature's beauty, tolorence of diversity, and  peaceful conflict resolution.

Michael describes his first book, 'Kokopelli and the Butterfly' in this way: "A tribal fairytale about a man who loves to explore nature and teaches others to love Earth, her animals and each other."

The second book, 'Kokopelli and the Island of Change', continues the story and the and the lessons begun in the first book. 

Another point I am very impressed with is the thought he put into the medium, the books themselves. Michael has designed the books with the reading experience in mind. Each book is "9 1/2" high X 11 1/2" wide;  a panoramic size so you may have your arm around your child while reading together." The "state of the art, computer generated illustrations purposely appear on alternating sides of the book allowing children on both sides to feel fully included in the reading experience."

I am so impressed with these books that I am buying them for all my great nieces and nephews, and you will be too. You can get them at www.BustersBooks.com

 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Keep Reading!

Changes Happen

There have been several changes in my business. Two of the stores were shut down because of lack of business. Boca Party Supplies did not do very well for several reasons. Even though the store regularly had 400+ visitors a month and was on page one of Google for many of its products, and its blog was on page one for 'formal party blog', there was very little buyers. And without them the business did not support itself. So, I closed it. I also closed the environmentally friendly store and reopened it as a directory of the remaining stores and blog. It will become an entering point for those who see our name on advertising and our truck.

I would like to blame these changes on the economy, but can't. I simply did not have the skill to convert visitors into customers. Part of that is my fault. But I must say that the host of the sites did not live up to their responsibility of providing the training and tools that were promised to aide in our becoming successful. That is why, I figure, that they have been investigated by almost half of the state's Attornys Generals. And in most cases they found it cheaper to settle than to fight it. I can be more specific if you request it by email but will not comment again on it here. Oh yes, I will be moving the other two stores to new hosts in the near future unless something dramatic happens.

On a lighter note, the fishing and crabbing are great. My friend Jon and I have been going out weekly on his 35' Endevour sailboat, and trolling for King Fish and Spanish Mackerel. We are averaging 3 fish a trip. Not bad. We are using 6" gold bombers and the large 'Clark' squid spoons. Jon loves to sail but isn't in to fishing, and I'm a fisherman and find sailing too much work. So, he sails and I fish. We both have a good time and come home with a great fresh meal. I put a couple of my stone crab traps off Jon's dock on the intercoastal and we get three or four claws twice a week. We are trying fish heads and pigs feet as bait. So far the heads are winning.

This past weekend I went to the Suncoast MG Club Jamboree. It was the first show type event I have taken my '66 MGB to and it went well. If I ever figure out how to put pictures on this site I will post some. ( Hint hint, help, anyone.) I am building the car for everyday use, not as a show car, so was concerned as to how it would look with all the others. But lots of 'daily' cars showed up.

Until next time, make every day beautiful. Oh Yes, love your enemys, it really confuses them.

Wind Power, What do you think?

I have watching various ideas about our use of energy for a long time. . Below is a 5 minute video by Boone Pickens. What do you think of it?
Copy and paste the following in your browser window. It will fit. I did it.

http://push.pickensplan.com/photo/photo/slideshow?feed_url=http%3A%2F%2Fpush.pickensplan.com%2Fphoto%2Fphoto%2FslideshowFeed%3Fpromoted%3Dtrue&back_url=http%3A%2F%2Fpush.pickensplan.com%2Fgroup%2FReformAutos%2Fforum%2Ftopic%2Fshow%3Fid%3D2187034%253ATopic%253A590020%26page%3D1%26commentId%3D2187034%253AComment%253A1001168%26x%3D1


Then let me know if you think if it will work and if it will help.

HHO

I just joined a new group today. They are involved in building devices that increase your gas mileage. The website address is http://hhoinfo.ning.com. I spent about 4 hours on it and found it interesting. I am always looking for ways to save on my fuel bill. Remember, I like to travel. One thing that got my attention was, when I was creating my new blog there I related a time when in 1961 I bought gas for 32 cents a gallon and got 32 miles a gallon on my MGA. I wonder how much that 32 cents would be in today's money? If anyone can figure that out please let us know. Thanks. It helps us keep things in perspective.

Vision Boards

I just finished writing a booklet, tutorial or what ever you wish to call it about vision boards. I am putting it here so you can read it. If you want your own copy, go to www.BustersBooks.com. Go to the personal Growth page and you can download a free copy as a pdf file. This is the first tutorial I have written in years and it was fun.I hope you enjoy it and do it. The results may surprise you. Let me know when you build it and tell me all about it. I would like to hear your story.


Vision Boards and Their Use
By Bob Lindstrom


An Example
When I was 11 years old, my father hosted a man visiting from Siam, who came to the U.S. to learn the meat packing business. He came to our house several times to visit and have dinner with our family. On his last visit he took me aside and said he would share a truth with me that would make me wealthy and happy all my life. Then he told me to always remember that, “We become what we think about”. I didn’t know it then, but he had shared a great piece of wisdom with me. And, it is one that would prove itself over and over again. I guess it became buried somewhere in my subconscious because even though I never really thought about it, I practiced it all my life. It worked, most of the time for the best but sometimes for the worst. But, it always worked.

In 1954, when I was 14, I was at the magazine rack in our local drug store, and spotted a magazine with the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life, right on the cover. I fell instantly in love. The cover of that magazine had the picture of the new, white, Jaguar XK120, fixed head coupe. The magazine was “Road and Track”. I immediately went home, got my money, went back and bought that magazine. I read and reread the magazine until it was showing a lot of wear but I protected the cover like it was an expensive painting. I put it where I would see it every day. I dreamed about that car. When I had time, I would sit in my Dad’s Chevy and imagine I was driving ‘my’ white, XK120 Jaguar, fixed head coupe. I dreamed about driving through the mountains of Virginia, where we lived.

Nine years later, on a dark and rainy night, I was driving through a nearby town and passed a car dealership. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a familiar silhouette. I slammed on the brakes and made an immediate U turn. On the very back of that lot hidden behind other used cars was a white, Jaguar XK120, fixed head coupe. The dealership was closed, so the first thing the next morning I called them. We made the deal on the phone and that night I picked up my Jaguar. I had my dream car. I loved that car and drove it many years.

What is a ‘Vision Board’?
So, what is the point of my story? The point is that the magazine cover was my first “Vision Board”. It was several years after I got the car before I even heard the term. But when I did, I immediately knew what it was and how it worked.

A vision board is a visual reminder and motivator, that you create. It represents what you want and is like a compass that points the way to getting what you desire. You build your board, then you put in a prominent place where you will see it several times every day. It should attract your attention each time you pass by. It can be something as simple as a picture cut from a magazine and taped to the bathroom mirror, or it can be an elaborate poster or visual display on your computer screen. It can be a beautifully constructed notebook or album with elegantly decorated pages for each area of your desires. It can be for a specific item or cover all the various areas of your life. It can be as small as a ‘gratitude rock’ in your pocket that reminds you to give thanks, each time you reach for change or as big as a painting that fills a complete wall.

There are many different types of vision boards and some types worked better for me than others. So I will share several kinds of vision boards with you. You can make several and see which ones work best for you. And remember, just because you build a vision board doesn’t mean it will work. So I will also share the keys to making your vision board really work.

Other Examples
My second experience with a vision boards was when I became a salesman for a large 3 letter corporation. The sales manager would often take us to high end car dealerships, clothing stores, and other expensive stores and have us collect brochures. He advised us to post them up at our desks and home offices as motivators to work for them as goals. He also sent catalogs to our wives and suggested that they put them up where they saw them regularly. That would get them to help us stay motivated. Posting the brochures of items you want up where you can see them regularly is a good way to remind yourself of your goal. You can get posters of places you want to go or the house you want to own. Any visual reminder is always more effective than just a written list. Did they work? Yes, we traveled the Caribbean and drove the cars we wanted and lived in great neighborhoods. I was consistently 130% of my quota each year.

At another time, I assembled a 3 ring notebook as my vision board. I divided it into sections for the different parts of my life. They included business/work goals, travel, home, adventure experiences,personal growth, life style, and relationships. I kept the original on the coffee table in the living room and made a copy to keep on my desk at work. So whenever I had a free moment, or needed motivation I would open up the book and remind myself where I was heading. Not only did it help me focus, it motivated me to do what ever was necessary to reach my desires and goals. And I built and operated a very successful business.

Types and Forms of Vision Boards
There are many different forms of vision boards and I’m sure you will find the ones that suit you best. It took me a few tries, but now I have the right mix working for me.

There are simple pictures, folders, posters and white boards, notebooks, albums, computer screen backgrounds and screen savers, photos, charm bracelets, gratitude rocks, videos, artifacts, and many more. Be open to other ideas as you plan yours.


How to build a vision board?
There are several steps in the process and the first sounds easy but may be the most difficult for some people at first. Just relax and keep practicing. You must have a vision. What is it that you really want? What is your dream life and lifestyle? Where do you want to live? What kind of house do you want to live in? What do you want to spend your time doing? Whoa, that’s too many questions. Yes it is, so start with one. Any one.

First, pick one goal, and sit down, relax and think about it. Lets say it is the kind of house you want to live in. Then, ask yourself these questions: How big is it? What is the style? Draw a floor plan. How many rooms does it have? What is it made of? What is the color of the outside? What colors are the rooms? Picture your furniture. Plan your home from top to bottom. Next, close your eyes and walk around in your home. Move the furniture. Have a party. See yourself laughing and having fun with your friends at the party.

Now you are ready to start collecting the materials for the vision board of your house. Look through magazines, brochures, or where ever you can think of to find pictures of what you want. If you can’t find them, draw them, even if you can’t draw. Make some sort of an image that will fill that space. The right pictures will come. Gather as many as you can find in a reasonable amount of time.

Begin assembling your board. Gather your materials and lay them out on your board or in your notebook in a way that is pleasing to You. This is Your board and represents Your desires and goals. As you arrange them remember what it felt like when you saw yourself driving that car. You may also choose to make small individual boards for specific goals and place them where they will be best suited.

Here’s another example. If you want to start with the car you want. Think about the type you want. What style? What color? How many seats? How many doors? What accessories will you have? What kind of sound system? What kind of fuel economy? Keep going until you can’t think of anything more. Then go to the dealerships that sell that kind. Shop. Look at all the possibilities. At each dealership sit in the models you think you might want. Shut your eyes for a second and visualize yourself driving down the street in that car. Collect brochures of that model. Cut out pictures of the car from magazines. Make sure you have the specifics and make your choices. Then, follow the same instructions as described above in the previous paragraph to assemble your board.

When you are building one large board for all your desires and goals, Do each section as described above and add each part as they are ready.


The KEY!
Each time you look at your vision board remember to take just a moment, or longer, to remember the feeling you had as you laughed at your party in your new house or as you drove down the street in your new car.

The key to making the vision board work really for you is the FEELING part. You must believe completely. So much that you can drive your car across the country in your imagination. That takes time and practice. When you feel it, you manifest it, and bring it to you. I can’t remember how many times I drove my Jaguar in my mind, but it was a lot. And it worked!

My current vision boards
In my life I have used many of these forms of vision boards, and still do, because they work. Presently, I have several working for me. I have an 8 x11 sheet of paper taped to the wardrobe that I look at every morning when I wake up. I have to pass right by it as I get out of bed. It reminds me of the goals for my business. There is a gratitude list posted where I get dressed and where I pick up the ‘gratitude rock’ that goes in my pocket with my change. I have a picture in my wallet that I see every time I open it during the day. On the living room walls are art work that are related to the goals my wife and I share. In my office there is a large poster, that is divided into the various areas of my life, that contain artifacts, symbols and pictures . There are also graphs of the past, present and future growth of my company.

And, each day I take the time to imagine myself being, having, and doing the things I desire, just as I did when I was 14. It works.


Copywrite: Bob Lindstrom, Buster’s Books, 2008

This is a free downloadable booklet, in pdf format,
from: www.BustersBooks.com.

Aahhhh, Vacation

We, my wife, Joycee, and I, just returned from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They are a wonderful set of islands about 3/4’s of the way from here in Florida and South America. We spent three nights on St. Vincent at the Beachcomber Hotel (http://www.beachcombershotel.com) which is beautiful. The entire grounds are like a small garden of lush tropical plants that are kept trimmed and clean by a crew of local men. The interesting thing was that 80% of the plants they have, we also have in our yard in St. Petersburg. Ours don’t look as good as theirs..Hum, it must be the volcanic soil they have, or the tropical showers.

St. Vincent is a volcanic island with steep hills and the volcano is on the North end. In the center is a valley called the Mesopotamia Valley that is the most beautiful place for growing fruits and vegetables that I have ever seen. The rich soil frequent showers and topic sunshine make it like the Garden of Eden must have been like. Our driver, Desmond, grew up on the island, so of course knew the best places to go. He took us to the best, first. The highlight of the first part of our trip was a visit to a place called Montreal Estate Gardens. Here is the website, but it doesn't do it justice. (http://www.montrealestgdns.f9.co.uk/). I have traveled over most of Europe and North and Central America and I have never seen any garden, formal or otherwise to match this one. The number of species and variations are incredible. The colors are spectacular. If I ever figure out how to put pictures on this site I will put them on here. But they won’t show how beautiful they really are.

Then we got on our yacht, a 44 ft. Lagoon sailing Catamaran, and headed South to the Grenadines. The sailing was great and easy and we lived real easy. We stopped at several islands to look around, and dine at top notch restaurants like Bazel’s on Mustique Island. We snorkled some beautiful spots, swam with turtles, caught fish while traveling from one island to another, and visited a former whaling station. The boat was the perfect size for four couples. The captain, Mike, and his wife, Hiya, who served as host, were very hospitable, and she is a wonderful cook. They are very nice and Mike is a supremely competent captain.

There were other two couples on the yacht with us and they were great fun and added to the experience. Arnem and Yvonne are newly weds on their honeymoon and are from St Vincent but lived most of their lives in England. They are retired and are settling in their new home on the island. Linda and Gustavo are a young couple from California and are a blast. We will continue to keep in touch with them. In fact I talked with Arnim and Yvonne already on SKYPE just a day ago.

After the week of sailing we spent two more days on St. Vincent and went to Dark Falls. These two falls are in the jungle close to the volcano. The trail is steep, muddy and has some tricky spots in it, but the trek is well worth it. These falls are very high and beautiful. We love falls and took lots of pictures to frame for our house.

Then it was time to come home. We had a wonderful, restful, and fun vacation. We recommend the sailing vacation we had with our Festiva sailing time share. It was all that was promised and more. Look up Festiva Sailing Vacations at:
( http://www.festivaresorts.com/fsv.php)

Travel and timeshares

It has been a while since I have been able to write, so here is what has happened.

Taxes followed by the end of school seemed to overwhelm us. My wife was overloaded with work, closing down her new program for summer and doing exams. I had my hands full opening new avenues of revenue on my web stores, and both of us getting ready for a two week trip to North Carolina. We were heading up to Blowing Rock to watch Joycee’s grand neice ride in the horse show there. We stayed at Blue Ridge Village, an RCI timeshare place where we stayed last year. It is a great place and has lots of amenities. There is a large pool and spa in an enlclosed area, putt putt golf, a fishing pond with paddle boats and much more. Try it, you will like it.

Other than the horse show, which is the oldest continous annual horse in the country, the highlight of the trip is the bike ride down the “Virginia Creeper Rail Line trail”. The trail is a former narrow rail line that hauled freight and I belive coal line that traveled for about 30 miles on a grade that averages 3%. In the middle of the trail is the town of Damascus, Virginia. If you look for it, it is at the corner of Virginia,Tennasee, and North Carilona. From there you can go up or down the trail. When we arrive there we (there were 8 of us) rent our bikes, and helmets and are given a bottle of water. The bikes are loaded on a trailer pulled by a van into which we all climed, for the ride to the top of the trail. At the top we get our bikes and coast 17 miles down the trail back to Damascus. The ride runs thru the mountains, along steams with trout, along cliffs, paralleling the Appalacian Trail. It is wonderful and reminds me of riding my bike along the fire trails and logging roads of these same Blue Ridge Mountains,up further North, in Shenandoah County back when I was a kid, except I had to ride up first. (At my age now its easier to go down the path rather than up.)

The horse show was great and Tory won several ribbons and we all had a great time
I also spent time with my twin sister and her husband, in Martinsville, Virginia, and each of her children, Mark and Jennifer and their families, on the trip so it could not have been better.

So now we have been home for three weeks and leave Wednesday for a holiday in the Carribean. We will go to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. For one week we will be sailing on our Festiva timeshare yacht with three other couples, a Captain and a hostess/Chef. On each end of the sail we will spend three days in a small beach hotel on St Vincent to acclimate. We have found we enjoy this plan better than running in and out. You might want to try it.

Yes, we have timeshares. We find them very convenient and give us a great deal of freedom. We have used them in the islands, Europe, Central America, and of course here in the states.They also save us money, which in these times is always helpful. We have never had a time when we were not able to get what we wanted when we choose to use them. We choose not to use them sometimes, like last year when we went to Grand Turk, and wanted to stay specifically at the Salt Raker Inn. I love that place. It is so origional and fun. By the way...the diving on the wall is the best I have ever done. Blue Water Divers have been there over 20 years and are the people to go with. PS; I don’t get a commission from any of these people for recommending them. I’m just giving you a recommendation based on my experience.

I get back to you in two weeks, when I return.

Happy Earth Day!

Yes, its "Earth Day". How many of you participated in turning off your electric things a couple of days ago when we were asked to? Well I did and I didn't. Midway through the day I realized that there was no way we would be able to have all that stuff turned off at the requested time, when Joycee got home from school. My wife is a very dedicated teacher and brings 'homework' every night to do after supper. Having the computers and other appliances off just wasn't going to work. So, I turned them all off in the late afternoon for an hour + (and took a nap). What a great solution, I think. Talk about win - win,

Oprah is on and she is doing a "green" show. Did I tell you that I built a compost bin? There is always left over wood around here, so about 4 weeks ago I gathered up some of the scraps (I love it when I can recycle wood) and built a compost bin and put some soil and compostable material in it to get it started. Each day I add any vegetable leftovers to it and I turn it with a shovel about every three days.By using only vegetable and fruit scraps I don't have to be concerned about smells or animals getting into it. The meat scraps I give to the neighbor for their dog. It has cut down greatly the waste we had before and the compost is great for the plants. Win -win.

These are all small things. It is always great to think we would like to save the earth, but we often forget about the small things we can do daily. I think people tend to think if they can't do something big that they can't help. WRONG!! Its many of us doing the small things that will change the earth. Each person doing the little things we can add up to the major changes that make the difference. I mean, sure, it would be great if I could eliminate poverty or some dreaded disease from this world. But lets get real, I only can with the help of all the people who have the same dream as me. Together we have the ability to change it all. Share with me how you are helping. I would like to hear your ideas.

Celebrating "Earth Day",
Bob

I can't believe .........

..its April already. A lot has happened since we last talked. They have been all great so cannot be rank ordered. Here goes:

Boca Party Supplies is number one on page one on Google for several of the products we offer. The store has been open for only 2.5 years and I knew we would get there. Just surprised it happened so fast. We appreciate all of our wonderful visitors, and especially those of you who became customers. Our store is growing and we will be adding more high quality products and are planning developing a tea party page. As always we appreciate your feedback and comments so we can continue to improve and serve you.

We, my wife and I, went to "The Festival of Speed" reception at the Clearwater, Florida Airport last weekend. I was looking for things that I could pass on to you about how to improve your formal events. The hanger and tarmac were filled with the newest and rarest autos and private jets available. Beautiful! Some of the folks were dressed to the 9's, and others were there in their jeans, ( it is Florida after all ). The food was pretty good. But, even though I hate to be negitave, I must say the thing the caterer forgot was to have places for the guests to put their plates and glasses as they finished the food selections. We were surrounded by these luxury vehicles and planes and no where to put our dirty dishes. People were very good though and resisted leaveng things on the displays but many of us were uncomfortable. The lesson here ... at your parties make sure there are conveinient places for the dinnerware that is no longer being used. Then something you cherish won't be damaged. Sometimes we just forget. (I think I will go make a list. )

Lets see... this is April. Its not too early to remind you that May is breast health "Early Detection Month". Please take the time to remind loved ones to make sure they are doing their monthly breast exams. We could reduce deaths from this disease dramaticly by finding the symptoms early. Yes, I do them ... men do get breast cancer. If you need more info check Bay Bridal Shop. The web address is on this page.

Three weeks ago I attended a three day course by the Bob Proctor folks and learned tons about how to improve what I do and grow the business. This was probably the most productive workshop I have ever attended. I, like Jack Canfield, author of "Chicken Soup For The Soul", heard repeatedly, growing up, that there was never enough money, "money doesn't grow on trees" etc. And I worked hard and long to be able to have the things I wanted and got them. It worked. However many of the things I learned at the semnar will make it much easier from now on. Yes, I am excited about what I am doing and look forward to new and greater experiences and vacations in the near future via the techniques I learned. I recommend this to you all. Start with going to http://boblindstrom.thesgrprogram.com and order the 7 free lessons. If you find them helpful, go back and order the home school kit, I did. If not, Thanks for looking.

I apologize if this post seems to be disjointed and have too many references to my stores but I do want you to be informed. I will do better next time.

Thanks for listening. B

Crab Traps,Earth and SGR

My partner in the 'stone crab business' in the keys (4 traps) decided it was too much work and pulled our traps in, and doesn't want to do it anymore. I told I would buy him out and to just bring the traps here to St Pete. I will put them out here and will enjoy the fruits of my labor. I just don't know when he is coming. Stone crabs, for those who are unfamiliar with them, are medium sized crabs that grow very large claws that are a genuine delight to eat. The good part of catching them is you only take the claws and put the crabs back in the water to grow new ones. I used to get them while SCUBA Diving but decided to try traps this year. We did real well getting as many as 15 claws from our 4 traps. When you grow up as a farm kid it is always fun to harvest your own food, especially when it is a delicacy.

New subject:
Has anyone read "Earth: The Sequel" yet? I just got a postcard telling about it. It is touted to be a positive version of the gloom and doom thing Al Gore did. The authors introduce us to entrepreueurs and inventors who have the tools and products that will reduce the carbon output to levels that will save us frrom global warming. Has anyone read it and if so what did you think? I will be getting my copy this week. You can see a video about it at http://www.earththesequel.com . Tell us what you think of the ideas and the book.

Last weekend I went to a three day training semnar on implimenting "The Secret" put on by the LifeSuccess Academy in Orlando. The academy is a division(?) of Bob Proctor's business. Bob Proctor is the primary speaker on the video "The Secret". It was very intense and covered a lot of territory but was very helpful for me. I grew up, like Jack Canfield, hearing the mantre "Money doesn't grow on trees", and that it was hard to get and keep. I have lived with that 'stuff' long enough and since I have bigger plans than ever now that I am retired. (If you ask I will share them with you.) The point is that with Bob Proctor's book "You Were Born Rich" and Napoleon Hill's book "Think and Grow Rich" you have the the basic text books to get you on the road to a more comfortable and rewarding life. I'm loving life and retirement more every day.

I would like to hear your ideas and opinions on these or any of the previous ones. So please share your perspectives and ideas. Thanks.

Brass Magazine and giving back

I love my business and my volunteering and working on the MGB and all, but I have also been reading, attending some seminars and taking a long look at ways to build wealth. It will take a good deal to fund my foundation, so it can finance the projects I have planned, and more yet undiscovered. Giving back is very important to me.


One of the things I ran across is a magazine called “Brass”. It is a relatively new magazine for ‘young people’. Huh. I found it quite interesting and I’m only young at heart. I sure could have used something like this when I was ‘young’. The owner is a young guy who introduces himself and his magazine in this manner: “My name is Bryan Sims. I am the founder of brass|MEDIA Inc. I am a college student with a dream - and this is it.”
Bold, He has brass. He states his goal as: “To provide direct, intelligent, entertaining content to young adults about the money side of life.“ I could have used that back when I was younger. It gives me hope for our future.


One of he things that really caught my eye though was number 9 on his ‘Guiding Principles’:
“9. Give back and help others.
We believe strongly in giving back and helping others in a variety of ways. We value our contributions to the community, whether speaking to high school students or donating copies of our magazine to various groups, including organizations such as Johns Hopkins Hospital. We reserve ad pages for nonprofit organizations like the American Red Cross, UNICEF, and the American Indian College Fund.

However, giving back and helping others goes beyond supporting non-profits. It also means being socially engaged, like listening to the ideas of a young entrepreneur and sharing our contacts with them. It means hiring interns and young professionals to give them a chance to prove themselves in an up-and-coming environment. In short, this is our effort to make our community and world a better place through social entrepreneurship.” His website is http://www.brassmedia.com Check it out.
I admire him. I am sure he will do very well.


And there was another interesting statistic I saw somewhere, that said that 60+% of retired people volunteer or serve others in some way. I was surprised by that number. It is much higher that I thought it would be. There is so much negative stuff on the news and in the headlines that I am always pleased to see messages like these.

What are ways you know how we can give to others or ‘pay it forward’. What do you recommend? Add your list in the comments.

Mine are:
Donations to:
Guatemala Mission Outreach
The Susan G. Komen Foundation
The Brain Injury Recovery Network
Our local church
The Turks and Cacaos National Museum
The Safety Harbor Museum
giving automobiles to individuals in need of transportation

Volunteering at:
St. Petersburg High School
Coastal Cleanups
various fund raisers
The American Red Cross
Florida's National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship events

Musings on the holiday.

Musings on the holiday.

I’m sitting outside my '66 Airstream, enjoying a gentle 74 degree breeze, shaded from the sun, as it crosses the clear azure sky by the ocean blue awning....... . Writing, for me, is hard. Words don’t seem to come naturally to my brain or fingertips. I’m at Big Pine Fishing Lodge campground, on Big Pine Key, in the Florida Keys as usual for the Christmas holiday. It’s what I’ve been doing during the season for 25+ years. Most of the folks here have been coming here every year just as I have. The reason I come is that it is as close to Paradise as I can imagine and its easy to get to from my St. Petersburg home. Yesterday I went out on a small boat with “Painter Bob” and we caught enough fish to feed about 10 people. So tonight we will share our bounty with more friends.

Another friend stopped by, Gary, and we talked about the different ways people we know choose to spend their holidays. Some spend it at home with extended families, some with immediate family or with old friends. Some travel to resorts of one kind or another to swim,SCUBA dive, camp, ski, hike, or go to some athletic event. How do you spend your holidays? Are you caught up in the frenetic business of preparing, scheduling, wrapping and cooking or do you use the holiday to relax, regroup, and recuperate? Who do you spend your time with - Family, extended family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances from previous seasons, meeting new people, sharing time and perhaps serving other people less fortunate than yourselves?

However you spend it, do it well, with all the gusto you have and make memories that you will cherish for a lifetime and beyond.

New topic:
Oh yes, I am using the new compostable tableware, as I said I would, for all meals and snacks. They are being received with great interest by all who have tried them. Most say they are very interested to converting to the new product for their own picnics and casual parties. It’s a step. I suspect that the Florida Keys will act as the States of Washington and Oregon have, making recyclable and compostable, disposable ware the only ones acceptable, some time in the foreseeable future.

Got to go..... Santa arrives shortly (5 PM) by boat to greet the kids here at the camp. Then dinner of fresh grouper dinner and the annual Christmas play and party at the recreation hall. ( Last night supper was just caught, Spanish Hogfish for dinner.)

(Three hours later.) Santa arrived on schedule as usual. I’m always amazed that he can fit us in his schedule on his busiest night of the year. He will be back later to take care of his usual business, leaving presents.

I hope your entire Holiday Season is as wonderful as mine is and will be. 2007 has been a busy and profitable year and I have every expectation that 2008 will be even more so. This year I launched 3 new stores, BayBridalShop.com, BustersBooks.com, and finally TocobagaTraders.com. For the year 2008, I will focus on making each of my stores recognized for being the most customer friendly stores on the web, and noted for their exceptional service.

Thank you to all the visitors to my stores and especially to those of you who became customers and friends. Please let me know how I can serve you better by commenting here or by email through the contact page of one of my stores. Thank you.
Make your New Year the best ever.

Bob Lindstrom