Wednesday August 29th, 2007: Issue #834
Several people have asked me the name of the hotel we used in Sorrento. It was the Grand Hotel La Pace in Sa’Agnello - a village 5 minutes outside Sorrento itself.
You can find reviews of the hotel online - and they are a pretty mixed bunch. Some people love it and some criticize it for not really being up to 5-star standards. I agree with the latter group, but the strange omissions and curious lapses actually added to our vacation and amused us. They will also give me plenty to write about!
I’ve got loads of pictures to put on a web page when I’ve sorted them all out.
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I’d forgotten how computer games can eat your time! If I ever revise my book on time management I really must include a chapter on activities that are time leaches.
In case you haven’t got a copy of my book yet, you can get hold of it from http://www.totaltimecontrol.com/
Yesterday I was browsing in my local computer store and saw that one of my favorite games, Civilization IV, has recently released an expansion pack. As I haven’t played Civ IV for a year or more I decided to buy the add-on and see what it was all about.
Seven hours later, at 1.30 this morning I finally remembered why I stopped playing the game before. It just sucks you in and eats up your time. You become a zombie. At least, I do.
It’s fun though.
I do kind of feel guilty when I’m not using my time to best effect. After all, think of what I could have done in those lost seven hours: I could have watched several of Mike Filsaimes DVDs; written the best part of a new ebook; worked on a new PHP script; written a couple of special reports; built a new website … there are no end of things I could have done to advance my business and put money in my pocket or food on the table.
Or I could have vegged out in front of the TV and fallen asleep.
But no. I played a silly game that made seven hours flash past like seven minutes, achieved absolutely nothing, had a far later night than I would have liked and feel tired and guilty this morning.
And of course, I’ll probably do it again!
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“A Summary of the World,” by Forest Felling
If we could, at this time, shrink the Earth’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look like this:
There would be 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 from the Western Hemisphere (North and South) and 8 Africans.
70 would be non-white; 30 white.
70 would be non-Christian; 30 Christian.
50% of the entire world wealth would be in the hands of only 6 people.
All 6 would be citizens of the United States.
70 would be unable to read.
50 would suffer from malnutrition.
80 would live in sub-standard housing.
Only 1 would have a college education.
When one considers our world from such an incredibly compressed perspective, the need for both tolerance and understanding becomes glaringly apparent.
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An Inspirational Thought
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Are you waiting for the right time?
All of us put off doing important things in our lives because, for whatever reason, the time just doesn’t seem right. We are waiting for some kind of perfect alignment of circumstances to give us permission to act.
But perfect alignments don’t happen.
The time is never right - and it is always right.
All this waiting around does nothing positive to help you meet your objectives, it is just an excuse to stop you from starting. Your mind is telling you that taking action is scary and that you’ll be far happier if you just carry on with the status quo.
Most people end up maintaining their precious status quo until the day they die. And then look back and wish they’d grabbed life and squeezed it for all it’s worth.
The ‘right time’ is a myth. It isn’t going to happen. There will always be something that stops you and makes you think that there is a roadblock in your path.
And yet … the right time does exist. It is now. Today. This minute. There is no better time for you to start your journey to success than this time.
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Who do you know who would love Kickstart Today?
Don’t keep it to yourself - send them to
http://www.kickstartdaily.com today!
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The Quote of the Day
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Nicholas Murray Butler said,
“An Expert is one who knows more and more about less and less.”
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Today’s Power Thought
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Go take a hike.
Yes, I really mean it.
When I used to work in offices, I knew only too well that by lunchtime, my energy levels, both physical and mental, would plummet. I’d often grab a quick sandwich and then spent the next hour trying desperately to stay awake. And not always succeeding!
Then one day I discovered the area I worked in.
Really discovered it.
I took to going out every lunchtime and just wandering round the streets. I would seek out back turnings that I’d never seen before and roads that were well off the beaten track.
I learned to look up instead of down. Some of the best sights are above eye level and if you don’t raise your head, you never get to see them.
Every day I tried to take a completely different route.
And I found gold.
I stumbled across a beautifully peaceful rose garden.
I found a tiny gas-lit alley (in London’s Covent Garden) that is 300 years old. (And supposedly haunted).
I drank coffee in a room that used to be Charles Dickens’ study.
I found tiny shops in hidden streets that sold the most amazing things.
And every day I came back to my desk refreshed, awake and excited at the treasures I’d found.
You might not live in an area with so many hidden gems, but don’t let that put you off taking a hike when your batteries need recharging. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you’ll find when your mind and eyes are actively looking.
But even if all you get out of it is a good walk, at least you’ll have had some exercise for your body and some fresh stimulation for your mind.
And that has to make you more creative for the rest of your day.
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Fascinating Facts
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In the English language, the four letters ‘ough’ can be pronounced in nine different ways. No wonder English is so hard to learn!
1. uff
2. owe
3. or
4. ow
5. ooh
6. uh
7. ooo
8. off
9. up
Here is a sentence that puts them all in order:
A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough and after falling into his slough he coughed and hiccoughed.
Information doesn’t come much more useless that that folks!