Little Kids And Cigarettes: What We’ll Do To Feel Good


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When I was a little boy – I’m talking four years old, my family lived in an apartment in the Queens section of New York City
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I have good memories of that time.  Sitting area out back.  A candy store in walking distance.
And trips to the cigarette machine in the lobby.
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It’s true!  This was 1969. Different time period from where we are now.
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My mom would hand me 35 cents and send me down to the cigarette vending machine in the lobby.  I’d pop the money in the slot, find the knob for Salem and pull.
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Then I’d take the elevator back up to the third floor and hand them off.  If I was feeling adventurous, I’d take the stairs.  :)
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I’d get a smile, a hug and a thank you from Mom.
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Mission accomplished.
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Nowadays there are no cigarette vending machines.
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Too easy for minors to buy them.
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And there probably aren’t many parents who would send their four year old kids to the lobby of an apartment building in NYC to pick them up.
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Different time.  My mom still winces when she thinks about what she did back then.  And I didn’t know any better.
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In fact, it felt great.
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Think about it…you’re a little kid sent off on a mission of importance for your Mama.
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She hands you money.  You take the elevator.
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You get to put the money in the machine.
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You pull on the lever.
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Out comes the reward.
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You hand it off to Mommy.
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You get your hug and kiss.
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Instant competence.
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***   ***
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Things haven’t changed as much as we might think.
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We still do the craziest, dumb ass things in order to make ourselves feel good, competent…
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Like we belong.
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We see this all the time in the world.
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We eat and drink things, telling ourselves we like them, when what we’re actually doing is trying to fit in with the rest of the crowd.
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We know they’re killing us slowly, but we do it anyway.
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We pay companies to advertise for them.
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Our favorite sports teams, shoe companies, soft drinks, beers…you name it.
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We pay big bucks to wear their hats, shirts, jackets, even jewelry.
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I always thought the idea of advertising was they pay you to endorse their product, not the other way around.
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But we pay anyway…because we want to feel part of something.  To feel competent.
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To belong.
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***   ***
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And here’s one…for my dear friends in the home business world…
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We pay money, we take products, we say things we’d never say in “real life.”
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Because we want to feel like part of the success in the home business world.
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Because we want to feel like something BIG, even if we haven’t figured out how to reach it ourselves.
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So we jump up and down, chant the company line, and do a hundred other things that take away our dignity.
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I know what I’m talking about.  Did it for five years.
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Then I stopped.
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I became ME.
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I got strong, and confident.
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And people started following me.
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And I had things to share with them.
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And they gave me money for them.
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And I gave them value in return.
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Some of that value was the products and services they wouldn’t buy when I was reciting the company line.
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***   ***
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What the point, you ask?
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It’s easy to go along to get along.
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95% of the people you know are doing it..
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Good chance you are too.
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And there’s a really good chance you’re embarrassed about it, and want to learn how to attract people from a place of strength and confidence.
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It won’t happen by saying what everyone else is saying.
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It won’t happen by pulling on the same knob everyone else is…expecting gold to come out of the machine.
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It will happen when line up with your own power….
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….and radiate the confidence people want to be part of.
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Then you can “share” your product or service.
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And become that person you always wanted to be.
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Powerfully Yours,
Larry
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***   ***
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HOW TO JUGGLE (and Change Your Life Forever) It’s the story of five young adults and the Saturday morning that starts them on the journey of a lifetime. READ IT if you’d like it to do the same for you.
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HOW TO RECEIVE has one more week to go. I’ve loved watching folks grow into themselves…let all this good stuff come into their lives. It’s really true: when you give to others… it comes back to you a thousandfold.
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Next project is underway. First, helping Diane out with INSTANT MARKETING PROFESSIONAL. If you’re one of those home business owners who is trying to break through…ya gotta get on her mailing list.  Check her out at http://DianeHochman.com
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To those of you asking about the HOW TO RECEIVE live event…it’s in the pipeline.  Working on my secret mission first.  Once it’s ready, I’m going to create a special page and newsletter for you. For those of you who raise your hand and make the commitment, your success will become my sacred calling.  Keep your eyes open.

June 29, 2011 · Filed Under Uncategorized

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Keep It Simple



It takes self-discipline to focus mainly on things that serve you…that keep you in a place to give and receive good stuff.

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It takes a strong desire for something better than you’re living right now to find that self-discipline.

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It takes self-love to get access to that desire…to come from a place of seeing more rather than trying to escape less.

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And you don’t need to do anything or be anyone different than who you already are to be worthy of self-love and self-respect.

Just Sayin’

June 25, 2011 · Filed Under Uncategorized

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A Beautiful Young Woman


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The beautiful young lady in question is my younger daughter, Sarah.
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And her story can inspire you.
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And her example can help you make more money, advance your career, save a marriage, or improve just about anything you’d like to improve.
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I just brought Sarah back from the hair salon.  My wife was on a conference call and my older daughter…well, she just didn’t want to take her.
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So she was stuck with Dad.  She managed to survive.  :)
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This was a new place for her…a day spa rather than just an in and out haircut place.  She was excited about the possibilities.
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After all, she’s 15 now.  It’s time to trade up!
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Sarah met the stylist at the front desk.   Right away she noticed the woman’s hair color.
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“Wow!  I really like your hair color!”
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I know Sarah meant it, because she’s not the type of kid who doles out compliments just for the fun of it.
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Whatever it was…the look on Donna’s (the stylist) face was priceless.  She wasn’t expecting a compliment out of this teenage girl.
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She took her to the back of the spa.
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Twenty minutes later my girl came out.
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Between the summer dress she was wearing and this new sophisticated hairstyle, I’ve never seen Sarah look so elegant and beautiful.
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She knew it too.  The calm, confident look on her face told the whole story.
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An entirely different experience than she’s had in the past.
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Someone took the time to make her beautiful.
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***   ***
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And of course we know where it started….
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The genuine compliment Sarah paid Donna about her hair…it set the table.
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Genuinely finding the best in someone inspires them to want to give their best to you.
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For a few minutes, Sarah became Donna’s work of art.
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Two people being real with each other.
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And a dad who jumped in at the end.  Donna’s look of appreication told me I probably gave her the best tip she received in a while.
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No, I’m not bragging.  I’m pointing out the way it really works…
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And how it can work for you.
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When you move away from a place of ego, of worrying first and foremost about what’s in it for you…
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When you come from a place of service…
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Of expecting to see the best in people, looking for things to appreciate…
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(for real…not fake)
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You get the same in return…at least from the ones who are in a position to receive, and give in return.
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You create Win-Win situations.
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You upgrade the quality of your life.
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Of the people in it.
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Of your business and personal relationships.
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Because you start to EXPECT good and great things.
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In others, and in yourself.
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And you attract it.
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In others, and in yourself.
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It’s a simple message.
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Bring the kind of energy you’d like to receive from others.
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And be ready to receive it in return.
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And wear it like a cool and beautiful person.
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Just like Sarah.
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And you.  :)
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Your Grateful Friend,
Larry
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P.S. Of course we all know this already.  So why are so there so few people practicing this kind of positive energy on a day to day basis?  Answer: A lifetime of conditioning going in the other direction.  That, and some bad experiences that left you hurt, angry and fearful.  We can fix that…together.
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P.P.S.  No, there are no pictures of Sarah.  I did take a couple. But she made me promise not to go public with them. A deal’s a deal.
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P.P.S.  Back to that fixing your bad habits and helping you make more money, be happier and more attractive thing…keep your eyes on this blog over the next few days. You’re going to see something from me you’ve never seen before.  I’m going to offer you a way to achieve beyond your wildest dreams…because we’re going to help you dream bigger….and actually achieve those dreams.  :)

June 21, 2011 · Filed Under Uncategorized

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In A Blaze Of Glory: Ode To A Stove

Yet a few more reasons to be grateful…

Some of you who read Diane’s post know about our stove catching on fire.

The default response is, “Oh my God!  What a terrible thing!  I’m so glad no one got hurt!”

Well, so am I, especially since it was my family and my house.

But it goes beyond that.  Way beyond.

Everything on planet Earth breaks down eventually.  Lawn mowers, underwear, stoves.

Us.

It’s the mark of a thing well used and well enjoyed that it eventually breaks down.

And the stuff that breaks down prematurely…well that’s the mark of something poorly thought out, or poorly executed.

That doesn’t make it bad…or us bad, for that matter.

The stove was 13 years old.  It provided some really good roasts, some soul satisfying vegetable dishes, and one particularly outrageous dish of tilapia, mango and edamame that still gets talked about years later.

It put out thousands of chocolate chip cookies our daughters learned how to bake.  It churned out soups that were ready for me after shoveling snow off the driveway.

It was a good friend, and part of me is kind of glad it went out in a blaze of glory, without causing any damage.

It made me grateful for a fast thinking wife, and fire extinguishers under the kitchen sink.

Also made me glad for a responsive and professional fire department.

What if it had gone the other way?  What if it had caused damage or hurt someone?

Well, I’m not going there. No need to.

But I promise you I would have found something to be grateful for and build on.

What’s the alternative?

Meanwhile I’ve already sharpened my grilling skills.  Last night’s chicken came out perfect, if I do say so myself.  :)

Tonight’s cold cuts and fresh fruit…the perfect family treat.  I already marked my container of raspberries.  Eat your own, Sarah!

And we get to appreciate having the financial abundance to pick up a new stove without missing a beat.

Wasn’t always that way. It is now.

Martha Gesegnet said it well earlier in the day with her quote from John C. Maxwell:

“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.”

Ain’t that the truth!

Learn to enjoy the moments…each and every one of them.

Even the seemingly bad ones.

It’s a skill…you can overcome the habit of saying, “This is a very bad thing.”

You can replace it with, “Thank you for my resourcefulness, my sense of humor and the chance to do it better next time.”

It lays the foundation for a life of blessings.

Some in disguise.

Some exactly the way we’d like them.

Your Grillin’ Pal,
Larry

Do yourself a favor…make sure you have an all purpose fire extinguisher in your kitchen, and you – and the rest of your family – know how to use it.

June 8, 2011 · Filed Under Uncategorized

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