It certainly is. And if you agree, this will make you smile.

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From Gus - The Possibility Hunter

I’m a big fan of Dr Seuss and I love ‘Oh,The Places You’ll Go’.

Read it and you’ll get off your Lorax and get started on your Great Work.

Except when you don’t. Because sometimes you won’t.

But it also takes you to the darkest place in Seuss-topia. A place called “The Waiting Place”. Oh the horror! It’s where you spend hour after hour waiting for buses, The Big Break, winning lottery numbers, some extra cash or “…a pair of pants or a wig with curls” (even Dr Seuss’ dark places have a fat slice of the ridiculous!)

Are you stuck in The Waiting Place? Just can’t get started on that awesome project?
Why not use your hiatus to visit Growing Happiness and check out their tips for avoiding procrastination? Set a starting deadline for your next project and write your own bus-ticket out of The Waiting Place.

Or if you are just into taking a break (as opposed to waiting) you could try the ‘Oh The Places You’ll Go’ online game. Or find out more about the ‘political’ Dr Seuss and his Oscar winning documentary ‘Design for Death’.

If you don’t know what you’re waiting for, why not begin that unexpected masterpiece no one knows is in you?

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From Gus - The Possibility Hunter

I hate getting fit, and I’m bad at it.

It’s just not something I have ever managed to do on my own.

However, I am, it seems, coachable.

I need someone to make sure I get off my backside, to share my goals with and someone who will kick my backside when I spend too much time on it.

So, to make sure I did this I got myself a coach to encourage, threaten, and inspire me. And I bought a Nike iPod Run kit, to make running fun. (It doesn’t really work, but it does give me the opportunity to spend hours on my computer making play-lists!)

But Craig Harper has come up with an awesome idea which is unfolding as I write. If you see yourself needing a Productivity Partner, or are one of the awesome people out there who can be that partner for someone, tune into The Motivational Speak blog. Craig is linking the coaching with the coachable of us throughout the world.

Jump on board now!

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Here’s what I’m doing in July and August. Apart from writing the book version of Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun. And enjoying the summer. I’m going to watch a talk from TED every day.

Here’s an example of why - Amy Tan talking about creativity and its sources.

It’s funny, self-deprecating and covers everything from Quantum Mechanics to genocide. And along the way, it throws some new insights onto the role of discomfort and ambiguity in the role of creativity. 18 minutes well spent.

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From our newsletter Outside the Lines - The Business Edition

Don’t take my word for it

Smart folk thinking out loud about the power of saying no.

“A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”
-Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political and spiritual leader

“What is a rebel? A man who says no.”
-Albert Camus, French author

“It comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much.”
-Steve Jobs, American entrepreneur

“Learn to say No to the good so you can say Yes to the best.”
-John C Maxwell, American author

“The art of leadership is saying no. It is very easy to say yes.”
-Tony Blair, British statesman

“Yes and no are the oldest and simplest words, but they require the most thought.”
-Pythagoras, Greek mathematician and philosopher

“I only have ‘yes’ men around me, who needs ‘no’ men?”
-Mae West, American actress

“Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought.”
-Sir William Osler, Canadian physician

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From Gus - The Possibility Hunter

Empty your mind. Be formless. Shapeless. Like water. You put water in a bottle it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes… the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash.

No, those words aren’t Confucius’ words, they were the words of Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee: Kung Fu master, movie star, one of only seven men in history who looks good in a jump suit.
So, what is not cool about Bruce Lee? Who wouldn’t want to be a little bit like Bruce Lee?

But don’t fall into the old trap of donning a yellow jump suit and a picking a fight with Kareem Abdul Jabbar. What you want is a little of ‘the essence of Bruce’. The Positivity Blog brings you Bruce Lee’s Top 7 Fundamentals for Getting Your Life in Shape, to help us all get a little Bruceness.

While you’re at The Positivity Blog you should check out some of the other excellent posts. My personal (recent) favourites include “5 Kick-Ass Reasons to Give a Genuine Compliment, and How to Do It” (Why don’t you try it out on the next page you love when stumbling around around the ‘net) or “Picasso’s Top 7 Tips for Creating an Exciting Life” (why don’t you try it out while you’re alive).

Anyway, back to Bruce for the final word: Be water, my friends.

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My wife is a librarian, and she’s brilliant and passionate about getting people to read.

When she found out about this donation system, she got very excited - as did I.

If you love books, consider spreading the love (your own “possibility virus”)

You get to choose the book. A book you loved as a child. A book you want someone else to read. A book that means something special to you. Do something good. Pick the city, pick the library and *DO* something. You don’t have to spend a lot, but you, dear friends can make a difference.

Here’s the website

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From Gus - The Possibility Hunter

So what does it take to do what you want to do?

My sister-in-law has joined a band. Or rather she was shanghaied into one. Not only does she not play an instrument, but she never wanted to be in a band, yet apparently the band rejected her resignation. Of course, now she loves it.

I’ve wanted to be in a rockin’ band for 25 years (like Phil Collins), but I’m not in a band. I’m mildly tattooed (like Victoria Beckham), but I remain without band. I played the guitar for years and stagnated musically for over a decade (like Bon Jovi), and yet… bandless. I shamelessly name-drop (like, er, Phil Collins) but… on it goes.

How did this happen? Well, I forgot to join a band, so I’m not in one. Who would have thought?

What goal have you forgotten to action?

Steve Aitchison provides 8 excellent tips for taking action here.

Phil Gerbyshak, offers a few questions to ponder, and the biggest smile on the web, both of which you can find here.

So, check these out while I overcome my analysis paralysis (thanks Mr Aitchison) and fire up a two-fingered rock salute.

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I’ve just been made a member of the ‘oldest social club in North America’ - The Order of Good Cheer. This comes courtesy of the government of Nova Scotia who ask that I “have a good time, remember us fondly, speak of us kindly, and come back again.”

My wife was surprised to see this (she’s a Bluenoser) as she remember studying the original Order of Good Cheer in history class as a child. Begun in 1606 to help his men face the harshness of another winter in colonial Acadia - Samuel de Champlain contrived to keep them fit by giving every man the title of Grand Master - in charge of providing each night’s feast and festivities.

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Box of Crayons & Possibility Virus is supporting this fantastic project from Project H: the Hippo Roller.

I’d love this community to buy 10 Hippo Rollers. We’ve already bought the first one, the rest is up to you.

Donate $15 or more, and we’ll send you a small but perfectly formed gift. Just drop us an email to say that you’ve donated - together with your mailing address.

What’s a Hippo Roller and how is Project H involved?
The Hippo Roller is a simple rolling barrel device that allows the millions whose livelihoods depend on the daily fetching of water to more easily access and transport their daily water supply, and reduce the risk of long-term bodily injuries. The roller holds 3-4 days worth of water for a family of 7, about 5 times the amount of water that can be moved using traditional methods, which frees up time for more productive economic and educational activities. It’s an amazing product and an amazing story of good design enabling communities.

In April of this year, Project H will be traveling to South Africa to visit the Hippo Roller’s manufacturer and headquarters, and will personally hand over fifty rollers to a community in Northeastern South Africa in need of enabling water systems. The rollers are a gesture of support and a catalyst for more collaboration on larger water systems projects within Kgautswane. $100 sponsors the production and delivery of one roller in your name. Thank you in advance for supporting this amazing product and the amazing people whose lives you’re improving.

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