Jail Breaking your iPhone - in a word "DON'T"

It was reported today that nearly a quarter million iPhone users have had their Apple accounts compromised by new malware that can affect jailbroken iPhone, iPad, iPods and second generation Apple TV.  Most iPhone in the United States are not jail broken, however, there are still many that are.  I know users who have them and I've seen them for sale in numerous online "for sale" sites.

So what's Jailbreaking?  Jailbreaking is the process of removing hardware restrictions on iOS, Apple's operating system, on devices running it through the use of software exploits; such devices include the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and second-generation Apple TV.  It's something many that feel they are smart enough to know what they are doing (some techies) so they can get around Apples design.  Big mistake.  Here's a Wiki article about the topic.

My advice, do not jail break your phone, for any reason, no matter how smart the techie telling you it is OK thinks he or she is. Find an application that has met the Apple requirements for approved applications rather than circumventing the security that has been put in place, to protect you, and me. Don't buy a jailbroken phone, regardless of cost, you are asking for trouble.

How would you know if your phone was jailbroken? Use the spotlight search (swipe down on the screen) and search for cydia. If cydia is not installed as an application, chances are really, really good your phone is not jailbroken. If in doubt, ask them at the Apple Store.

Read the USA Today News article here.

Building a Culture Where Everyone is a Winner

This past week, it was all over the news about Pittsburg Steeler James Harrison sending his son's "participation" trophies back, saying everything in life should be earned.  Kudos to him, I agree.  Our culture has become a culture of "feel good" mentality because of things like participation trophies.  No one left behind...  equality for everyone...  touchy, feely lifestyle because some of us less fortunate don't think it's fair others get more, win more and have more because they did something or are something better than we are.  Hogwash.  We are all important and all mean something special....  but that does not mean we all get or end up with the same.

Have you ever applied for a job where the powers to be were only going to be selecting one of the many people who might apply for the position?  I have.  I've been on the "winning" side (been the one selected) and on the losing side (been one of the many not selected).  That's life...  that's the way it goes.  It also doesn't make it feel any better regardless of what side you end up on.

Going back to the participation trophies.  I'm almost of the feeling that participation trophies are more for the parents of the player or teams that don't "win" the game, season or event, so the parents feel better too because their child isn't the one crying.  They don't want their little ones to feel bad, so let's give them a trophy.  Have you ever watched the Little League World Series?  The losing kids often cry....  it is heart breaking, sad, difficult lesson...  but not life threatening, it's life strengthening.  It is a life lesson.  Watch the real World Series, Stanley Cup Playoffs or Super Bowl...  their are tears there too.  Life does have sad moments, but, those times can also make us stronger...  help us work harder... provide us motivation.

A good friend of mine, Björn Åberg skied in the men's moguls event in freestyle skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.  I didn't know Björn back then, we met as co-workers several years later...  we've shared good times at his home on Colorado.  I honestly don't know how he feels about his Olympic experience, he's told me about it, nevertheless, to me, he is my Olympic hero.  Björn  didn't win a gold medal, silver or bronze.  He also didn't receive a participation trophy. I believe in his event, the moguls, your score is the combined total of two runs down the hill, or something like that, it doesn't really matter.  He qualified 10th in the preliminary runs with all other Olympian mogul skiers with the top 16 moving on for a chance to win the gold...  he was there, in the midst of the best in the world and he was 10th going to the finals.  He had a chance to win it all.  James Harrison's kids had a chance to win the league too. What excitement they must have felt... whether we are thinking James kids, Björn or our own situations in going for the gold. What a rush.  For Björn, some may say, his excitement turned to tragedy when he fell on his second run.  The records will show him as coming in last...  16th place.  I'll bet Björn may himself may have been devastated....  I'm sure I would have been, even cried.  The years of training and work...  he fell down.  Don't give him a participation trophy, he was the 16th best in the WORLD at that moment.  I'm not sure exactly when, but another time, he fell and broke his back...  knocked him out of competitive skiing forever.  Björn, and the countless others like him are champions...  they were there, they worked so hard.  Failure? I think not.  I think those are paper records that show him coming in last are useless telling us about the people themselves...  I rather think of him as so good, he was capable of competing in the most competitive event in the world.  He is a champion.

So why the story of Björn?  Bjorn and those like him are the exceptions to the rule.  Few of us will rise to that level in what ever field we choose.  They are the extraordinary ones.  However, we should work and strive to always be the best that we can be.  For the 7 billion, plus or minus, of us in the world, we can seek to rise to the highest level we can with what we have been given, or with the limitations we are given.  We are NOT all the same.  We all have limitations that will prevent us from accomplishing some task, wishes or dreams.  Nevertheless, within reason, I can do anything and so can you.  We are only entitled to those things which we are reasonably capable of achieving and willing to do the work for to earn.

For most of us, we need to seek out those things, situations in which we can seek a victory.  I love Direct Sales companies.  Most of them are set up to allow anyone to try to be successful.  Many people aren't, but not because of the company, because they are not willing to do the work necessary to be an Olympian in the Direct Sales world.  Finally, we are getting to the second heart of this post...  the trophies for you and me.  Earned trophies.  I love Scentsy, I love the company philosophy and love the opportunity for everyone to win, and I mean everyone.  Within my first 2 years with Scentsy, I earned a trip for 2 to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, all inclusive.  Not for work, but for leisure and pleasure because of the work I did to earn it.  We flew first class.  The location had an Olympic atmosphere ...  we were all winners.  The point being, I like it when there are multiple winners....  not just a single job opening; a winner or loser is unimportant, life is a game, play it and enjoy it; find a place where you can be a winner, regardless of what others do or achieve, but where you can feel like a winner nevertheless.

One final thought or example...  you'll need a watch with a second hand or a stopwatch so you can time this activity.  As you read along, you will see the word "Start"...  that's when you start the timer.  Read the message that follows until you understand it all and get to the "Stop" message at the bottom.  Take the time it needs for you to decipher and understand each word in the message.  Disclosure: as I said, I love Scentsy and have been working as a Scentsy Independent Consultant for 5 years as of this writing.  I originally wrote this for people coming into the Scentsy business....  that is irrelevant to this example, although, you will read a reference to the Scentsy business.  It could be 31, Tupperware, Pampered Chef or whatever...  it doesn't matter, just read and figure out what you are reading.  Ready?

Start

If you can read this, 

you have a business mindset needed to succeed

Figure it out, work it out

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Stop

How long did it take you to figure it all out? Great! I could tell you how long it takes me to read it or how long it takes the next person to read it, but does it matter? How long it took was just a distraction and useless information. What matters is that you worked at it, you figured it out, you did what it took to figure it out. Doesn't matter if you wrote it down, translated or did it all in your head. You did it. Whether it took seconds, minutes, days, weeks or months, if we both read it and can do it, we are both winners. What about those who can't... then we need to work with them... teach them, assist them, mentor them... help them do all they can do. Art Williams once said, "all you can do is all you can do". Keep learning, keep reading. Where it takes you is awesome for you, regardless of where it takes others.

Always remember, you are amazing.

Life Lessons from Fundraising

Scent Circle Fundraising, made easy for your club or organization

In many ways, fundraising is the life blood of many organizations.  Be it raising money for a band trip for the big parade; a week long summer camp; supplies for the classroom or new team uniforms.  The list of needs goes on forever.  I don't need to write about why groups, clubs, and organizations from the young and old need to raise money.  What I think is most important are the life lessons that can be learned, especially by kids, that really participate in fund raising.  I think we forget that or don't take it seriously.

Having been involved with many organizations that have hosted fundraising events, I feel the trend is to get to the bottom line of raising the needed money, but I think we are missing out on the educational life lessons that could be the bigger part of participating.  One group I belonged to, a booster club for a high school athletic team, really missed the boat.  A vast majority of the parents just wanted to "write a check" and couldn't be bothered with fundraising.  What a missed opportunity to teach values to our kids.  The value of working to get what you want.  The value of record keeping lessons, managing money, customer service and saying thank you.  Let's look at a few lessons to be learned.

I am just as guilty as many parents who want their kids to have it all....  to have it better than we had it...  to take care of them and give them our all.  Some of us have more all than others.  We might be teaching our kids to expect that they will be given all we can for nothing in return...  are we responsible for this society of entitlement?  Requiring the members to actually do some of the work (be it selling or taking orders), teaches that we should work for the things we want.  You want to go with the band on the trip or for your team to get new uniforms?  Mom or dad might foor part of the bill, but by going door to door or standing in front of the local grocery store and solicit sales, if taught how to do it right, teaches earning what we get.  Participants can learn customer service skills....  saying please and thank you.  They learn that everyone might not be interested and will say no and how to act properly when they get those no's.  They are taught money management and how to be accountable for the monies they collect and turn into the organizers.  A little extra money counting skills can help prepare them for a real job in the future.

I don't have time, how much should I just write a check out for. Some can do that, others can't, none should.  I have heard so many parents say that....ugh!  Make the time.  Teach the value of working for what you get and not to expect something for nothing....  entitlement is not a fundamental right for which this country was built.

Sometimes there are personal rewards or prizes participants receive for being top sellers.  Not everyone should receive a reward for participating.  Teach that in contest and games, there are often winners and losers.  Teach respect and sportsmanship, graceful winning and being happy for those that exceeded expectations.

How Perfect Do You Have To Be?

One great thing about being a part of the Scentsy Family is the unending support you can find from the family. Whether you just need words of encouragement, a pat on the back for something amazing you just did or a hug, you can find it in the family. I found an opportunity to pay it forward thought that this might be a story that others could benefit from as well. I sure know there have been times I could have stepped back and realized that being much less than perfect is not only acceptable, but can be satisfying beyond your wildest dreams.

I read a post on Facebook from a gal who had just joined Scentsy, but it could have been any business opportunity and was already a little down after only 3 days in. She had not made a sale yet and had "only" booked 2 catalog parties for this month. I actually smirked a bit, "only" booked 2 parties in her first 3 days. Little did she know that she was probably one of a who who ever booked 2 parties in 3 days... most would do anything to book 2 parties in the next 3 days.

I replied to her post with an abbreviated version of this story. I see you are from a different part of the country, I am in New England. As we approach baseballs All-Star break and I don't know if you are a baseball fan or not, but bear with me. Here in New England, Boston to be exact, Big Papi, David Ortiz, is a Red Sox slugger.... Ortiz is a nine-time All-Star, a three-time World Series champion and he holds the Red Sox single-season record for home runs with 54, set during the 2006 season. Ortiz has hit 481 career home runs, which ranks 29th on the MLB all-time home run list. He is the all-time leader in MLB history for home runs (429), runs batted in (RBIs) (1,383) and hits (1,954) by a DH. Besides all that, he is a really nice guy. The Red Sox have paid David over 30 million for the last 2 seasons. 30 million because he hits lots of home runs.... by the way, he runs pretty slow.Here the moral to the story... he is paid to hit home runs. EVERY time he gets up to bat, he wants to and wants to hit a home run, the Red Sox want him to hit a home run, the fans expect him to hit a home run. He doesn't. In fact, he gets put out about 70% of the time he gets up to bat. Not only does he fail to hit a home run, he makes an out!  He fails at doing what people expect 70% of the time - he doesn't hit a home run!

You want everyone you talk to to but a product from you, you want them to join you in this opportunity.  You expect them to, but they don't.  In fact, like Big Papi, you strike out most of the time too.  They don't always buy, the don't want to join (yet).  In fact, you probably strike out more than 70% of the time... maybe even 90%.  But wait....

The Red Sox paid him 30 million over the last 2 years to do that!  In fact, they paid him that because he is one of the best at what he does.  You don't need to hit a home run every time, you just have to keep getting up to bat, practicing, learning and trying harder...  like Big Papi, and you too can become a Super Star (pun intended).

In your business, you don't need to make a sale, book a party, or sponsor every person you talk to.... but you do need to keep talking, keep learning, keep getting better.  So how do you do all that...  you listen, you read, you do what the other successful people are doing.  You don't listen to those that tell you that you can't...  what they are really saying is THEY can't and they don't want you too either.  It has been said before, when you are new, just learning....  you will make mistakes, you will strike out more.  That's okay, learn that now so it doesn't surprise you when it happens.  Make up for inexperience, but working harder, listening more and talk to everyone.

For what it's worth from this Scentsy guy from New England... you are rockin it just by being in it! You are at the right place, at the right time.  Go get em!

The Side of a Coffee Tale I Never Knew Existed

Dictionary

AHA Moment

1. It's a moment of clarity, a defining moment where you gain real wisdom - wisdom you can use to change your life. Whether big or small, funny or sad, they can be surprising and inspiring. Each one is unique, deeply personal, and we think, worth sharing.

Obviously not American

I just had an eye opening, aha moment.  It all started so innocently and has come to shed huge light on my apparent lack of knowledge.  There has been a lot of "Canada" going on recently in my life.  First, my favorite "sister-in-law living in Canada" came down to the states with her family last week where we spent the better part of a day together, debating Canadian vs States, taxes, and beaver tail.  My son had been visiting his girl friend in Cornwall, Ontario, where she is from and where they went to hockey school and then he is working a hockey program in Ottawa for the week...  Canada this, Canada that is all I have been hearing eh.  Then someone posted a picture of a coffee cup mocking the "hot coffee" law suit in our sue happy America from an apparent Canadian coffee shop.

I posted the cup picture to Facebook with a comment mocking the American way of suing anyone and everyone for anything and everything...  this cup mocks what has been referred to and joked about laughable law suit about a lady that sued McDonald's because their coffee was too hot and it burned her when "she" dumped it in her lap...  and won over 2 million dollars!

Enter my friend from South Carolina, Kerin (owner and founder of "I'm a mother of an Angel found at https://www.facebook.com/iamamothertoanangel).  She asked if I had Netflix, which I did, and suggested I watch a movie named "Hot Coffee".  I checked it out and almost instantly the aha moment struck.

It's a movie about frivolous lawsuits, greed, corporate America, politics and government.  Wow.  Shed a whole new light as my eyes were opened to some things I had previously assumed....  and the saying is right when you assume something, except this time I was the "u" and "me" in my assumptions.  I urge each and every one of you to watch the movie if you have Netflix or get it on DVD, or come to my house and watch it.  It's worth the hour twenty minutes or so.  I'll bet your perspective on several things will change and likely cause you to question and thing or two.  I hope it does.

Haven't given you enough inspiration?  Here is one of Stella's burn pictures, others are too graphic for here:

Much of the documentary is about tort reform, which, in some cases, I can understand, others, I can not.  Unfortunately, it seems that the only one that really gets hurt in many of these cases is the injured person... win or lose.  When there are cases of people really trying to abuse the system and "cash in", I have no problem finding against them.  It's all about accountability.  The McDonald's case punitive damages were not even about the woman being burned...  all she ever asked for was coverage above what her insurance paid (they offered her $800 against over $10,000 in medical expenses) and that they would check the coffee pot settings.  Apparently McDonald's was aware of over 700 burn complains and ignored them all.

The McDonald's suit is just a small part.  Pour a cup of coffee and watch "Hot Coffee".

Movie trailer

http://www.hotcoffeethemovie.com/Default.asp

Irrational change is.... well, irrational

an Abraham Lincoln misquote, but meaningful nevertheless

Although this is most likely a misquote by Lincoln, I think there is a good argument that this is what he meant, after all, what he really said is difficult to read and comprehend at first read.  I think the quote really is: "If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time or die by suicide."

Change is one thing, stupid irrational snap judgements are not what this country needs.  It's time to reclaim our country and stop the wacko irrational actions of many.  Bring back logic and being reasonable as a common mindset.  Political correctness should not replace rational decisions.

Photo Search Extraordinaire

A few days ago I made a post to my Facebook friends about an article that appeared in Fortune magazine about facial recognition.  Here's what I wrote:

"Sort of mind blowing... A June 23rd article in Fortune Magazine about facial recognition and work Facebook is doing says: "The research took 40,000 public photos from the social network, some of which showed people with their faces fully visible to the camera and others with their faces partially or fully hidden. After running them through the recognition filter, LeCun said the system could determine a user’s identity with 83% accuracy. Using its existing algorithms, Facebook has said that it can recognize you with 98% accuracy—in fact, its software can identify you in one picture out of 800 million in less than 5 seconds". The last sentence is wow... not only is big brother watching you... The likes of Facebook are too... No pun intended".

Tonight, while exploring the new Google Photo's app (available on your computer or for your smartphone), I discovered what I think is a spin off of that facial recognition technology.  Let's go back a bit to set this up right.  In this digital age, we all have photo's everywhere...  computer, smartphones, external storage drives and who knows where ever else.  Ever try to find that one picture you know you have "somewhere"?  I have a 64G iPhone...  and I ran out of storage mainly because I have 1000's and 1000's of pictures stored on it.  Honestly, it can be a pain looking for one that I know is there.

Enter Google Photos.  I downloaded the app...  Sync'd my pictures from my smartphone...  added the app on my computer and sync'd those picture and also my iPad.  It is really pretty amazing how I can now launch the Google Photos app and I have all pictures from all 3 sources...  viewable from any device.  That part is pretty cool and handy.  Now I have to go find all thos pictures on off line storage and add them, maybe.

The I started playing with the Google Photo search feature.  Can you imagine going through tens of thousands of pictures and labeling them just so you can find them?  How about sorting and putting the into folders yada, yada, yada.  What a pain.  It might not be necessary anymore.  In the app, I decided to search for a picture of a car I took while at a Scentsy Reunion...  didn't remember which one or where it was.  In the search bar, I typed "car" and instantly, there were all my pictures of cars with a smattering of motorcycles and other motor vehicles, including the picture I was looking for.

Very cool and I don't even know what I'm doing.  You can type in about anything you want.  Don't know what you want? The app will even make suggestions.  A series of thumbnails of people or topics are presented.  All you need to do is click on one of those pictures and your find all the pictures of that person or topic.  I searched for "snow" and guess what....  tons of winter scenes. Getting ingenious now, I went wild and searched for "car + snow" and as you might guess...  cars in winter scenes.  Pretty cool. Maybe.

If I understand it correctly, you can save an unlimited number of photos in the new app.  This storage is seperate and different from the limits within Google Drive.  Why?  I don't know yet.  But, Google is giving everyone the opportunity to upload as many photos as they want, for free.  Google them has the ability to scan them and find who know what.  It's likely all money based and will somehow be used to their advantage and financial gain...  don't know how, why or when...  but not only do we have the Big Brother (like the NSA), now we have Google.  Ahh, free enterprise.

Here's the app:  https://www.google.com/photos/about/
Here's the help: https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6128838?hl=en
Here's the Community: https://plus.google.com/communities/115899483237483386886