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Amazon Kindle Book
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Kindle’s screen is as sharp and natural as reading ink on paper—and nothing like the strain and glare of a computer screen. Kindle is also easy on the fingertips. It never becomes hot, and is designed for ambidextrous use so both “lefties” and “righties” can read comfortably at any angle for long periods of time. We wanted Kindle to be completely mobile and simple to use for everyone, so we made it wireless. Kindle™ a new class of device—a convenient, portable reading device with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers. The result is Amazon Kindle. We designed Kindle to provide an exceptional reading experience. Thanks to electronic paper, a revolutionary new display technology, you’ll find reading Kindle’s screen is as sharp and natural as reading ink on paper—and nothing like the strain and glare of a computer screen. Kindle is also easy on the fingertips. It never becomes hot, and is designed for ambidextrous use so both “lefties” and “righties” can read comfortably at any angle for long periods of time. We wanted Kindle to be completely mobile and simple to use for everyone, so we made it wireless. No PC and no syncing needed. Using the same 3G network as advanced cell phones, we deliver your content using our own wireless delivery system, Amazon Whispernet. Unlike WiFi, you’ll never need to locate a hotspot. There are no confusing service plans, yearly contracts, or monthly wireless bills—we take care of the hassles so you can just read. With Whispernet, you can be anywhere, think of a book, and get it in one minute. Similarly, your content automatically comes to you, wherever you are. Newspaper subscriptions are delivered wirelessly each morning. Most magazines arrive before they hit newsstands. Haven’t read the book for tomorrow night’s book club? Get it in a minute. Finished your book in the airport? Download the sequel while you board the plane. Whether you’re in the mood for something serious or hilarious, lighthearted or studious, Kindle delivers your spontaneous reading choices on demand. Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper. - Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
- Wireless connectivity enables you to find, buy, and read instantly
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Living a 5 Star Life
From: Simple Truths
Would you like to have more joy and less stress in your life? Do you want to discover the secrets to reaching your full potential? Would you like to make a positive difference in the short time you're here on this earth?
Life coach, Betty Mahalik, tells you how in her beautiful book, Living a Five Star Life. She challenges all of us "to live a great life by discovering the life we have right now, instead of trying to invent a whole new life." This little book has more wisdom, common sense and inspiration than any I've read in a long time!
Today, I'd like to share her chapter titled: Fences in your Mind. Enjoy!
(Excerpt from Living a Five Star Life, by Betty Mahalik)
Fences in your Mind
I've watched the movie Chicken Run at least a half-dozen times. Just beneath the surface of its simplistic look and story line lie a number of wonderful messages told through the eyes of a bunch of Claymation chickens trying to break out of their chicken-wire world to escape their fate at the chopping block. Their freedom leader, a feisty little hen named Ginger, comments profoundly in one scene: "the fences are all in your mind." She reminds her fellow chickens (and us), that a bigger obstacle than the physical fences they're surrounded by are the mental fences that hold them captive.
It's been a good reminder for me on those occasions when I've been dealing my own mental fences...those created by self-doubt, uncertainty, fear. Can you relate? Where have you fenced yourself in mentally in recent days or weeks? Perhaps your mental fence is procrastination, a deadening habit that keeps you stuck. Maybe yours, like mine, is related to self-doubt, and the on-going internal noise it produces that keeps you immobilized. Perhaps yours is the belief that you don't deserve success, so you sabotage yourself to avoid having to find out how successful you could be. There are a million variations of the theme, but the result is still the same: we stay stuck like the chickens in the movie.
One of the key questions in the Best Year Yet® program is: "How do I limit myself and how can I stop?" Those limitations are never external. They always live inside us. The antidote to being trapped by our mental fences is to create a compelling enough vision that, like Ginger and her flock of chicken friends, we're willing to resort to amazing measures to break out. The formula:
VISION + CONSISTENT ACTION = FREEDOM!
I challenge you to take some bold, even outrageous steps to break free of your mental fences. If it's procrastination, declare a "freedom day" and take action on everything you've been putting off: from cleaning your office to making phone calls or responding to emails you've avoided.
If it's self-doubt, sit down and write out everything you value and why it's important. Then challenge yourself to eliminate anything that doesn't absolutely reflect your values, or add something that is a profound statement of who you are.
FREEDOM IS JUST THE OTHER SIDE OF ACTION.
Recognize that your mental fences can only keep you stuck as long as you're looking at them. They can only contain you as long as you're not taking actions consistent with your vision. Go ahead, take the action you've avoided and leap into a future filled with possibilities. And remember, the fences are all in your mind!
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The Best Way Out Is Always Through
From: Simple Truths
Millions of people say that they'd like to write a book someday - a novel, their life story, a children's book, a murder mystery, or perhaps a self-help book. Of these millions, perhaps a million of them actually do it in any given year. Of this million, almost 300,000 of them get published (in 2007 the figure was 291,922). Each of these books has less than a 1% chance of being stocked in an average bookstore, and the average book sells about 500 copies. (Publishers Weekly, 2006) In other words, once you write a book, getting it published is a long shot. And if you get it published, making it successful is an even bigger long shot.
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen learned this the hard way. They spent three years gathering stories and editing them for a collection they called Happy Little Stories. By the time they were finished, they were $140,000 in debt.
Then they found a literary agent who agreed to represent them and he set about sending the manuscript to publishers he thought might be interested. The response was unanimous: "no." One publisher said, "Nobody buys anthologies anymore." Another said, "It's not topical enough." Yet another said, "We just don't get it."
And finally, the worst "no" of all - their literary agent dropped them. After pitching the book to dozens of publishers he came up empty-handed. "I can't sell this book," he told them. "Nobody buys short stories."
That could have been the end of the story for Canfield and Hansen. Undoubtedly, most authors would have given up by now - but not these two. Instead, they decided to try to sell the book themselves.
They made 200 copies of their manuscript, stuffed them into their backpacks, and headed to the annual American Bookseller's Association convention (now called Book Expo America). They roamed the aisles of the huge convention center, button-holing every editor and publisher they could find. They handed out dozens of copies of their manuscript, but still no takers.
Finally, after two days of non-stop hunting and schmoozing, they met Peter Vegso, owner of a small publishing house in Deerfield Beach, Florida - Health Communications, Inc. (HCI) This publisher was in the business of doing primarily recovery books (12-step), but they had fallen on hard times, as the recovery movement peaked and waned. On the verge of bankruptcy, Vegso had put his company on the market to sell it.
In the meantime, he was still trying desperately to save it by expanding into a broader category of spiritual books. Vegso agreed to take a chance on this collection of happy stories. After all, he figured, he didn't have much to lose.
After much discussion, they changed the name of the book to Chicken Soup for the Soul, and in 1993 HCI published it. Then the hard work for the authors began in earnest. As Hansen says today, "Making your book successful is 5% about writing a good book, and 95% marketing."
He knows what he's talking about. He and Canfield lived it. For the first year after the book was published, both men lived, breathed, ate, and slept their book. They were monomaniacs with a mission. They had bet the farm on their book - mortgaging their houses to the hilt - working non-stop, day and night, to make their baby successful.
They went to their hometown newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, and walked through the newsroom one afternoon, handing out copies of Chicken Soup to every reporter and editor, hoping that someone would write about their book. No one did.
They spread the word: sending out press releases, doing book signings, promoting their book in their seminars and workshops, and hiring publicists and others to help them make their book successful.
Canfield and Hansen did everything they could to take their baby to the top, and in fourteen months they made it. They arrived at the Nirvana of books and authors - the #1 spot on the New York Times Best-seller list - where they remained for two years.
We all face adversity in our lives. It's not a matter of if...but when. And during those times we need encouragement and inspiration to get us through. The Chicken Soup story is one of many in BJ Gallagher's new book, The Best Way Out is Always Through...The Power of Perseverance. I love it! And it's gotten rave reviews since it was released a few weeks ago.
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