Autobiographical

According to Bowker, the number of new books published in 2007 was 276,649 (or 758 new books each day). And the number of new business books published last year was 7,651 (or almost one new business book each hour).

This is the genre that my new book VISION CASTER is in. In the book proposal I can always say … there is now a large market for new business books given the large number being published.

Who said competition ain’t grand?

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This is a great ad by navigation equipment manufacturer Silva.

I don’t know about you, but I can identify with the Captain of the U.S.S. Montana more times than I’d like!

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Once upon a time my company, Small Town TV, rented office space at Santa Monica Studios. For history buffs: SMS was built on top of an abandoned 5-story Cold War bomb shelter that was a lot of fun to explore. Across the hall were the offices of Dr. Henry Cloud. Henry is a psychologist, radio show host and author. He is best known for his book BOUNDARIES: WHEN TO SAY YES, WHEN TO SAY NO–TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE.

One day Henry and I were getting coffee at the same time in the break room. I asked him if I could talk to him about boundaries. A professional glow came over his face as if he were expecting me to tell him how much I enjoyed his book or to ask him a question about some loved one running roughshod over my life. Instead I told him my issue with parking boundaries.

Henry looked as if I had just slugged him in the stomach. He apologized profusely, said it wouldn’t happen again, and if it did, I was free to, “Barf all over my car.” Undoubtedly, that would have really overstepped boundaries but wasn’t at all necessary because the good doctor immediately changed his parking habits.

I wish I could be as adaptable as Henry because lately I have been letting emotional and personal boundaries get pushed around. The result is that I have fallen behind in my writing. But now I am re-establishing some protective barriers.

I am taking the month of April off to finish my new book VISION CASTER. I shall be hiding out on a sunny beach in a Developing Country without phone or Internet access. If you write or call me in April, you won’t hear from me until May.

Thanks Henry for teaching me about boundaries and I’m glad I didn’t have to barf on your car!

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Check out the 7 Questions with Todd Albertson interview.

I liked his questions so much that I included them in my Press Kit.

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A friend who was doing a research project recently asked me if I had any “Rules of Life.” Until he asked the question I had ten iron fast rules, but while revising them for him, I dropped one like a bad habit, and now have a lean and mean nine.

(1) No committee projects.
Mel Gibson’s publicist once told me, “Pound sand.” That is the most vivid description I can come up with of trying to get something done on a committee. They are filled up with busybodies, the unfulfilled, and the incompetent. Members remind me of my father’s dog Kahuna who barks for hours just to hear his own voice. Avoid committees!

(2) Don’t date models and actresses.
This should be self-evident. You have an ego. They have EGOS. I just wish I had added this to my list 10 years ago. I ended up an emotional shadow of my former self.

(3) Don’t marry someone from the Jerry Springer Show.
If you marry someone who could be on a Best of Episode of the Jerry Springer Show, you won’t change them. They will change you and your family. You will become more abnormal than you already are and will end up on Volume 2 of the Best of Episodes yourself. My father learned this lesson the hard way. Don’t make his mistake!

(4) Eat healthy and exercise.
You only have one body, and you’ll be better off in both the short-term and long-term by taking care of it. I’m currently a fan of Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades’ Protein Power.  Also read my blog post from January 5th for my thoughts on Michael Pollan’s IN DEFENSE OF FOOD: AN EATER’S MANIFESTO.

(5) Enjoy your friends and family.
Life goes by in a flash. Enjoy your friends and family while they are around (but not if they’re Jerry Springer material). I’ve never met anyone dying who regretted not being able to spend more time at work.

(6) Give blood.
A far better list than this one is the American Red Cross’s top 10 Reasons To Give Blood. Give blood. It is the right thing to do. Do it!

Once you’ve given blood, you’ll see how easy it is, and maybe you will move up to donating bone marrow too. Check out www.marrow.org for more information.

You can also save lives by donating your organs and tissue for transplants after you are dead (it’s not like you’re going to be using them, right?). Check out www.organdonor.gov to see how easy this is to do.

(7) Register to vote.
There is an old computer expression that says, “Garbage in, Garbage out.” The same holds true for voting. If you don’t vote then you get the kind of government, leaders and country you deserve. Get involved and help shape the direction of our country. Go to www.declareyourself.com for more info.

(8) Volunteer.
Sending your money to a good cause makes you feel good, but the real rush is when you take the next step, and give of your time, energy and talent. Whether you help pick up trash at the park, save the whales, spend time with senior citizens, stock shelves at the food bank or help out at your church or synagogue, volunteering is cool. You’ll make a difference in this world and most of the time have fun doing it. Check out www.volunteermatch.org to find opportunities with which to be matched.

(9) Know God. Know peace.
At last! A bumper sticker that is not just a slogan but absolutely true. This world is far too confusing and lonely to navigate on your own. Learn more about God. I guarantee He’s not what most people probably think. Check out www.needhim.org for more info.

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The Jewish theologian Chaim Potok in his book IN THE BEGINNING wrote:

I can remember hearing my mother murmur those words while I lay in bed with fever: “Children are often sick, darling.  That’s the way with children.  All beginnings are hard.  You’ll be all right soon.”  

I remember bursting into tears one evening because a passage of Bible commentary had proved too difficult for me to understand.  I was about nine years old at the time.  “You want to understand everything immediately?” my father said. “Just like that?  You only began to study this commentary last week.  All beginnings are hard.  You have to work at the job of studying.  Go over it again and again.”  

The man who later guided me in my studies would welcome me warmly into his apartment and, when we sat at his desk, say to me in his gentile voice, “Be patient, David.  The Midrash says, ‘All beginnings are hard.’  You cannot swallow all the world at one time.”  

I say it to myself today when I stand before a new class at the beginning of a school year or am about to start a new book or research paper: All beginnings are hard…And sometimes I add what I have learned on my own: “Especially a beginning that you make by yourself.  That’s the hardest beginning of all.”

On some level January 1, 2008 marks a new beginning for all of us. And all beginnings are hard, especially a beginning that you make by yourself. Therefore I hope and pray that all of our beginnings in 2008 are made easier by friends, family and of course God beside us on the journey of life.

Happy New Year!

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I will be in Thailand for a week or so and won’t have access to email or phone. I am excited about the trip, particularly because I get to see Oma. Oma is the mother of an old friend of mine.

She is an older Korean lady living in Thailand helping women escape the sex trade. She is a wonderful and witty person who is making a difference in the world. In addition she feeds me very well and I am sure will make her famous (and secret-recipe) mango and pineapple Kimchi for me!

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I did an interview with PageOneLit.com concerning my new book, THE GODS OF BUSINESS. It was interesting and you can check it out here.

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