Chase The Kangaroo

The Way We Work  “Beware of the assumption that the way you work is the best way simply because it’s the way you’ve done it before.”  ~Rick Rubin, from his book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being

How C.S. Lewis Helped Encourage Tolkien’s ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’ By Alicia Kort,  Newsweek  | Repost In the 20th century, two British authors, J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, dominated the world’s imagination with their original works, which have been translated into more than 39 languages, printed in more than 300 million copies and were optioned into films earning more than $6.4 billion combined at the global box office. While the individual talent of these authors is undeniable to readers today, many may have no inkling that Tolkien and Lewis enjoyed an unshakable friendship—a relationship directly responsible for the creation of  The Lord of the Rings  and Lewis’s  Chronicles of Narnia . A year after Tolkien began teaching at Merton College at Oxford University, he met fellow professor Lewis at a faculty meeting in 1926. But it wasn’t necessarily friendship-at-first-sight. In his diary, Lewis describes Tolkien as “ a smooth, pale fluent little chap—no ha...

Roosevelt poses on a 1903 trip to Yosemite with naturalist John Muir. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt " I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph. " ~Theodore Roosevelt I've always been a fan of Theodore Roosevelt.  If you asked me what it was based on, I would have to confess that it was all based on hear-say, so to speak.  Other than reading his "Man in the Arena" speech, I only have tidbits of school history and what I've gleaned from articles and common knowledge.  But the more I discover, the more I'm intrigued. To officially wet my appetite of my intrigue of Theodore Roosevelt, I picked up a copy of,  The Ris...

As A Man Thinketh , by James Allen Originally published:   1902 Description:  "As a Man Thinketh" is a literary essay by James Allen, first published in 1902. In more than a century it has become an inspirational classic, selling millions of copies worldwide and bringing faith, inspiration, and self healing to all who have encountered it. The title comes from the Bible: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." -- Proverbs, chapter 23, verse 7 Purchase:   Amazon Books At first glace, Proverbs 23:7 seems obvious enough and can be easily glossed over.  However, James Allen takes a closer look and studies the power our thoughts have over our lives.  Our thoughts, even have profound power over the situations we end up in.  Our thoughts can inspire to greatest or they can weigh down with the gravity of mediocrity. Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes, And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wil...

Fast After 50: How to Race Strong for the Rest of Your Life, by Joe Friel Originally published:   January 10, 2015 Description:  For runners, cyclists, triathletes, swimmers, and cross-country skiers, getting older doesn’t have to mean getting slower. Drawing from the most current research on aging and sports performance, Joe Friel–America’s leading endurance sports coach–shows how athletes can race strong and stay healthy well past age 50. Purchase:   Amazon Books Though I’m not 50 yet, I was curious about what athletes and the weekend warrior-types can do to slow the aging process. We’ve all heard about or are experiencing the effects of aging, from slower recovery to difficulty in losing weight to loss of muscle mass, etc.  As Mr. Friel was closing in on the age of 70, he became more concerned with how our bodies age and whether we can prolong the effects. In  Fast After 50 , Friel covers chapters like, The Aging Myth, The Ageless ...

The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness, by Jeff Olson  This edition published:November 4, 2013 Description:  “The Slight Edge” is a way of thinking, a way of processing information that enables you to make the daily choices that will lead you to the success and happiness you desire. Learn why some people make dream after dream come true, while others just continue dreaming and spend their lives building dreams for someone else. It s not just another self-help motivation tool of methods you must learn in order to travel the path to success. It shows you how to create powerful results from the simple daily activities of your life, by using tools that are already within you. Purchase:  Amazon Books Simply put, this is one of the best books I’ve read on the subject of making smart choices and seeing them thru.  Jeff Olson destroys the myth of the “over night success”, based on the principles of compound inte...

The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind: Access to a Life of Miracles, by Bill Johnson Published:  January 1, 2005 Description:  You can live a supernatural life. In fact, moving in the spiritual realm should be as routine as prayer, worship and reading Scripture. It is part of what Jesus purchased for us on the Cross! Healing, deliverance and signs-and-wonders are an inheritance for all followers of Jesus Christ. The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind teaches you how to remove the blinders of religious limitation to see your own life changed, the lost redeemed and communities transformed. You too can move from an intellectual faith and tap into an abundance of miracle-working authority, unleashing the power of God's glory. Purchase:   Amazon Books Bill Johnson is a Charismatic Christian revivalist, itinerant speaker, author, and a Senior Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California.  The above statements were taken from his book.  J...

Twain publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn On this day in 1885, Mark Twain publishes his famous–and famously controversial–novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . Twain (the pen name of Samuel Clemens) first introduced Huck Finn as the best friend of Tom Sawyer, hero of his tremendously successful novel  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer  (1876). Though Twain saw Huck’s story as a kind of sequel to his earlier book, the new novel was far more serious, focusing on the institution of slavery and other aspects of life in the antebellum South. At the book’s heart is the journey of Huck and his friend Jim, a runaway slave, down the Mississippi River on a raft. Jim runs away because he is about to be sold and separated from his wife and children, and Huck goes with him to help him get to Ohio and freedom. Huck narrates the story in his distinctive voice, offering colorful descriptions of the people and places they encounter along the way. The most striking part of the b...

Saint Thomas Aquinas, by G.K. Chesterton Originally published:  1933 Description:  Chesterton's customary wit and engaging storytelling provide a brief but vivid profile. He focuses on the saint's life, rather than on theology, to illustrate Thomas's relevance to modern readers. Purchase:   Amazon Books Popular quotes from Saint Thomas Aquinas: " To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." " Better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate." " Love takes up where knowledge leaves off." “St Thomas (Aqinas) loved books and lived on books... When asked for what he thanked God most, he answered simply, ‘I have understood every page I ever read’.” ~G.K. Chesterton, Saint Thomas Aquinas I would be lying if I told you this wasn't a heady book.  Luckily for me, it wasn't a long read.  I didn'...

In Stephen Covey's  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , he challenges you at the end of the first chapter to a 30 proactivity test.  He defines proactivity  as "more than merely taking initiative.  It means that as human beings, we are responsible for our own lives.  Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions.  We can subordinate feelings to values.  We have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen." Proactive Model He explains what it really means to " Take the Initiative"  and that, regardless of the circumstances we've been dealt, we can choose to " Act or Be Acted Upon" .  By the mere fact we are breathing air and existing, we will have situations arise, situations that are beyond our control.  However, we do have control over how we choose to respond and how we respond makes all the difference. Covey describes our power to choose vs our circumstances as, the Circle of Influ...

The 25 Essential Books for the Well-Read Explorer | Outside Online | Occupy your off-season with the successes, failures, and bemusements of fellow adventurers. Hey, we're with you. Given half a chance, we'd much rather hit the road than the armchair. Nothing can replace the intensity of authentic experience. Yet experience needs shape and wisdom and behind every great adventure are the stories that inspired it. We read before we go; and after we arrive, free and clear in far-flung terrain and edgy places, we invariably find echoes of the voices that led us there. Paleo Poor: Your Guide to the Grocery Store | Whole9 | We’ve heard it a million times – how can I afford to eat like this?  (“Like this” meaning “Whole30®” or a general Paleo diet.)   We can’t argue the fact that it’s cheaper to eat a McDonald’s value meal than to craft your own healthy healthy dish by hand… but then again, diabetes medication is pretty expensive too.  We’re not here to arg...

Why Mindfulness Is Your New Secret Weapon | Outside.com | “Exhaustion occurs during real-world endurance competition not when the body encounters a hard physical limit such as total glycogen depletion but rather when the athlete experiences the maximum level of perceived effort he is willing or able to tolerate.… The inexorable slowing is not mechanistic, like a car running out of gas, but voluntary.” - Matt Fitzgerald.   Read more of the article or add these to the book list: Matt Fitzgerald's,  How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle . Jim  Afremow’s, The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athlete's Think, Train and Thrive . George Mumford’s,  The Mindful Athlete: Secrets To Pure Performance . An Effortless Way To Practice Gratitude | Dallas Hartwig |  Exploring the world around you is a rather effortless way to practice gratitude. It’s really difficult to truly look at the world around you and no...

The commonality of these quotes points to the depth and type of character within all of us.  Our character is always revealed in the end, bubbling up to the surface.  No matter how strong or polished our personality may seem, our character will be known in time. We live in an age where more emphasis is placed on personality improvement , rather than on character improvement.  A polished personality is important in our interactions with the world around us.  However, when those interactions turn into temptation or negative, the foundations of our personality will be revealed. What are we that shouts so loudly? Personality vs. Character.  There is a balance between the two.  I'm a big believer in actions over words.  Talk is cheap.  Yet when we speak, how are we carrying ourselves?  Do we come across as kind, abrasive, bores, a pushovers?  Without the polished personality, chances are our character won't have an opportunit...