The value of a sense of humor

Our friend Bill West sent this along.
It says a lot about our falling expectations.
It says more about our ability to laugh.

The economy, Bill writes, is so bad that:
• He got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.
• CEOs are now playing miniature golf.

• The First Couple are staying in Washington.
• Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.
• Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America.
• Motel Six won’t leave the light on anymore.
• A picture is now only worth only 200 words.
• They renamed Wall Street “Wal-Mart Street”

Bill called the Suicide Hotline the other night.
He reached a call center in Pakistan.
When he told them he was suicidal, they got excited.
They asked if he could drive a truck.

Americans can laugh in the face of disaster.
It increases our determination to succeed.
And it reminds us that things could be worse.
Most of us learn to laugh early in life.
Don’t lose your child-like ability to laugh.
Particularly at yourself and your foibles.

Keep laughing, my friends. It helps.

To share your own humor, click on Post a Comment.

A Presidential candidates’ favorite

Today we’re going to take a break and have some fun in the kitchen.
What kinds of cooking do Barak Obama and John McCain favor?
Not surprisingly, both Presidential candidates like Mexican.
We don't know what Sen. Obama's favorite dish might be.
When Sen. McCain is at home, he goes to the Asylum in Jerome. Ariz.
Yes, that’s the name of the restaurant. He often orders the BLT.
Our family loves BLTs, especially this time of year.
There’s nothing quite like fresh garden tomatoes in a sandwich.
The Wall Street Journal recently printed the Asylum’s BLT recipe.
We’ve tried it and recommend it to you.

The Asylum’s BLT (for 4)
16 thick-sliced mesquite-smoked bacon strips
4 6"x4" slices of ciabatta or other crusty rustic bread
8 red-leaf lettuce leaves
2-3 large tomatoes cut into 16 slices
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Cook bacon in skillet or between paper towels in microwave.
When crisp, drain on paper towels to remove excess fat.
Half each piece of ciabatta, lightly toast and spread with mayo.
Top 4 halves with lettuce, bacon and tomato slices.
Place other 4 halves on top and slice diagonally. Serve.
If you can’t find mesquite-smoked, any smoked bacon is great.
Next week we’ll talk about daring the critics and the naysayers.
For more on daring to dream big, click here.

Find a friendly business model

A sure way to succeed is to find a successful business model.
Then model your business on what they’re doing right.
It may not even be in your industry.
We can learn from success in many other industries.
We have taken successful ideas from:
1. Reading the business media. These include:
Success and Entrepreneur magazines. Business Week.
The Wall Street Journal. Selling Power. CEO. B2B.
Publishers Auxiliary. Circulation Idea Service.
2. Friends in our industry who are not in competition with us.
Show up at your industry’s trade association meetings.
Attend their functions and network with fellow members.
3. Friends in other industries willing to share their success.
Their tactics and strategies can be customized for our business.
Make friends with people in business associations.
Attend your local chamber of commerce events.
Develop friendships where you can help them and vice versa.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about what to ask successful entrepreneurs.