• Keep your Car in Good Shape – Before you head out-of-town, check your vehicle’s tire pressure and change the oil and the air filter if need be. Cars with clean air filters can get up to 14 percent better gas mileage.  Using the grade of motor oil that the auto manufacturer recommends adds efficiency as well; look in the vehicle’s manual to see which type to purchase.
• Click on the Cruise Control – Leave your lead foot at home!  According to the fuel economy.gov, aggressive driving–speeding, rapid acceleration and hard braking–can lower your vehicle’s gas mileage by as much as 33 percent at highway speeds and 5 percent around town.  Using cruise control can help you stay under the speed limit when you’re on the highway.
• Plan your Fuel Stops Ahead of Time – Gas prices vary widely from state to state–and even from one side of town to the other.  Check websites such as fuelgaugereport.com and gasprices.mapquest.com to compare costs before you run your errands for the day.
• Cool Efficiently – Don’t crank up the air-conditioning as soon as you get in the car.  Start by rolling down the windows.  Keep them open as long as you’re driving  than 40 mph.  Then, when you enter the freeway, close the windows and switch on the AC.  The wind drag caused by open windows at high speeds makes the car burn more fuel than it does when the AC is running.
• Save at the Pump – If you suspect you’re not getting optimum gas mileage, consider cleaning your car’s fuel intake system with a product such as STP gas treatment (about $2 at most service stations).  Simply add it to the gas tank when you fill up.  And remember to secure the cap.

‎”When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo

Friend Sanford wrote an insightful piece on how being a jerk just doesn’t work….even and perhaps especially if the jerk happens to be brilliant and RIGHT about saving lives.   Please read his blog “Its Harder to Inspire the World if You are a Jerk”  (What I write below refernces Sanfords article.)

It got me remembering times where I have heard people complaining that “No One Listens.”…and within just seconds of listening to them complain… I know exactly why no one does.   They have an unpleasant tone, approach or spirit.  They are toxic, they are whiners, they present themselves poorly, and often struggle to get to the point.  They want to be heard, validated and even celebrated for their insight…but don’t seem to expend any effort on their presentation skills, language skills or the context that their “listeners” are listening from.  They are jerks…but don’t seem to know it, or wrongly believe that they shouldn’t have to think about how they come across.  In short we the idea holders are often the very biggest barriers to the solutions these ideas might provide because we haven’t yet learned how to communicate them in a way that is palatable to the world around us.

The best ideas don’t always win…. rather the ideas that win are the ones that are best communicated.

Two of my very favorite books on this subject are = Made to Stick and The Leaders Voice

When I think of how this Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis discovery could have saved so many lives if only he had not been such a jerk in how he shared his idea with others…. I am inspired to work harder on improving the way I communicate.  I may not save lives…but I may save some frustration in the lives of others ….and my own.

Kirk out

‎”A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths;

feels your fears but fortifies your faith;

sees your anxieties but frees your spirit;

recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.”

– William Arthur Ward

“To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever increasing unhappiness.

To think good thoughts, however, requires an effort. This is one of the things that discipline – training – is about.” — James Clavell, in his novel “Shogun”

No Stinkin Thinking Allowed!

The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular worship leader was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute.

The substitute wanted to know what to play.
“Here’s a copy of the service,” the pastor said impatiently, “…but you’ll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances.”
During the service, the minister paused and said, “Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected and we need $14,000 more.

Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up.”
At that moment, the substitute worship leader played “The Star Spangled Banner.”
And that is how the substitute became the new worship leader.

“Life is a kaleidoscope. Turn your head a different angle and see it a whole new and beautiful way.” – Anonymous

Life throws so much at us but we have to keep moving forward, live it to the fullest and remember that whatever happens, it only made you stronger. ~Author Unknown

‎”When you have been through things in life you learn from them, rise above them and learn what is worth it and what isn’t. There will always be someone trying to push your buttons or play dumb with you. Always remember that you have risen above them not to end up under them. Learn to let it go, shrug it off, see how bright you really are and enjoy life.”

– Renee Scalfan