Our Drug Free Life?

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Free Directory Assistance by Google

I've been using Goog-411 (800-GOOG-411) for about a year. It works and it's free. With Goog-411 I got directions to a restaurant where I had a meeting, found the best coffee shop and roasters in Colorado Springs, received the address and phone number of the closest Goodwill store via text message.

Watch the video above to get the 411 on Goog-411.

Pangea Day Project

The Pangea Day project is inspiringly ambitious (more info here), and maybe it's just me, but every time I see this trailer, it sets my spine a-tingling. I hope you'll take a minute to view it and pass the link along to friends.

11-year-old charged with driving drunk | Oddly Enough | Reuters.com

Some parents put "my child graduated with honors" bumper stickers on their cars, others show photos of their cute smiling kids, but only it's a rare and privileged parent has the privilege of pointing at the above headline and exclaiming, "That's my girl!"

An 11-year-old girl was charged with drunken driving after leading police on a chase at speeds of up to 100 mph that ended when she flipped the car....

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Funny Signs You've Probably Never Seen

I laughed until I cried.
Click here to see three pages of Signs from Around the World and a few choice comments.
Sure they're silly but laughing is supposedly good for your health so click on the link and, if for nothing else, lower your medical costs!

How to Look Approachable

I enjoyed reading this article about How to Look Approachable in social settings. In case the photo scares you away from the article, the tips do not promote the use of maniacal mustaches. Here's a taste:

• Compliment others. It's a great way to show interest in other people and start conversations. Most people just love getting a compliment and positive attention, and talking about themselves. Just be sure it's sincere and appropriate. Ask follow-up questions to keep the conversation moving.
• Ask questions that require more than a simple "yes" or "no" answer to subtly encourage a shy or introverted person to keep talking.

How to Have a Positive Impact

Tim Rath's bestseller How Full Is Your Bucket is based on decades of research and uses a simple metaphor about a dipper and a bucket to show how even the briefest interactions affect your relationships, productivity, health, and longevity.

Nearly every day Annette and I pray that we can be an encouragement to those with whom we cross paths. So when I read about how you can have a positive impact in the world around you, it got my attention. In addition to the book, there is an associated website that has online tools and tests that will help you analyze your postive impact (you do have to register, but it's free and quick). Click here to go to that page.

A few fast facts from the book:

• The #1 reason people leave their jobs: They don't feel appreciated
• 65% of Americans received no recognition in the workplace last year
• Bad bosses could increase the risk of stroke by 33%
• A study found that negative employees can scare off every customer they speak with -- for good
  
• 9 out of 10 people say they are more productive when they're around positive people
• Relentless negativity resulted in a 38% POW death rate -- the highest in U.S. military history
• We experience approximately 20,000 individual moments every day
• The magic ratio: 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction
• Can there be too much positive emotion? More than 13 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction could decrease productivity
• Extending longevity: Increasing positive emotions could lengthen life span by 10 years

Here are some questions to help you positively influence the people around you:

1. Have I helped someone in the last 24 hours?
2. Am I an exceptionally courteous person?
3. Do I like being around positive people?
4. Have I praised someone in the last 24 hours?
5. Have I developed a knack for making other people feel good?
6. Am I more productive when I am around positive people?
7. In the last 24 hours, have I told someone that I cared about her or him?
8. Do I make it a point to become acquainted with people wherever I go?
9. When I receive recognition, does it makes me want to give recognition to someone else?
10. In the last week, have I listened to someone talk through his or her goals and ambitions?
11. Do I make unhappy people laugh?
12. Do I make it a point to call each of my associates by the name she or he likes to be called?
13. Do I notice what my colleagues do at a level of excellence?
14. Do I always smile at the people I meet?
15. Do I feel good about giving praise whenever I see good behavior?

Great Gobs of Google

If you think Google is only a search engine, click here to see what else they have to offer (and usually for free). If you want some recommendations, here is my top 5 list:

• Gmail: free, no virus, nearly spamless, email-as-it-should-be
• Picasa: Find, organize, edit & share your digital
• Blogger: easy, free blogging (create your own website)
• Notebook: Clip, collect & organize information (great for research)
• Docs & Spreadsheets: like a free online Microsoft Office

If you want Google's suggestions, go here.