Firearms Refresher Course

1. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject. 

2. A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone. 

3. Colt: The original point and click interface. 

4. Gun control is not about guns; it’s about control. 

5. If guns are outlawed, can we use swords and IEDs? 

6. If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.

7. Free men do not ask permission to bear arms. 

8. If you don’t know your rights, you don’t have any.

9. Those who trade liberty for security have neither. 

10. The United States Constitution (c) 1791. All Rights Reserved. 

11. What part of ’shall not be infringed’ do you NOT understand? 

12. The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore

the others. 

13. 64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday. 

14. Guns have only two enemies; rust and politicians. 

15. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety. 

16. You don’t shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive. 

17. 911: Government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer. 

18. Assault is a behavior, not a device. 

19. Criminals love gun control; it makes their jobs safer. 

20. If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson. 

21. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them. 

22. You have only the rights you are willing to fight for. 

23. Enforce the gun control laws we ALREADY have; don’t make more.

24. When you remove the people’s right to bear arms, you create slaves. 

25. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

Breakfast at McDonald’s 

This is a good story, please read it all the way through until the end! (After the story, there are some very interesting facts!): 

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology. 

The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with. 

Her last project of the term was called, ‘Smile.’ 

The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions. 

I am a very friendly person and al ways smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald’s one crisp March morning. 

It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son. 

We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. 

I did not move an inch… an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved. 

As I turned around I smelled a horrible ‘dirty body’ smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. 

As I looked down at the short gentleman , close to me, he was ’smiling’. 

His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God’s Light as he searched for acceptance. 

He said, ‘Good day’ as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. 

The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation. 

I held my tears as I stood there with them. 

The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. 

He said, ‘Coffee is all Miss’ because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm). 

Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.

That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action. 

I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. 

I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand. 

He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, ‘Thank you.’ 

I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, ‘I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope.’ 

I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, ‘That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope.’ 

We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give. 

We are not church goers, but we are believers. 

That day showed me the pure Light of God’s sweet love. 

I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand. 

I turned in ‘my project’ and the instructor read it. 

Then she looked up at me and said, ‘Can I share this?’ 

I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. 

She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed. 

In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald’s, my son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student. 

I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn:

UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE. 

Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to

LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE. 

An Angel wrote:

Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. 

To handle yourself, use your head.

To handle others, use your heart. 

God Gives every bird it’s food, but He does not throw it into its nest. 

A Box of gold With a secret inside that has never been told This box is priceless but as I see The treasure inside is precious to me Today I share this treasure with thee It’s the treasure of friendship you’ve given me.

A place where we Cry Allot!

A place where we Confuse Information!

A place where we Give Up!

Some people believe that this is Who We Are!

So…… Stay Informed and Don’t Give UP! Tomorrow Can be a Better Day!

This Nation was created for people who believe in the United States of America and it’s ideals, as expressed in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation Proclamation. It is a community that believes in the American Dream, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. One that believes that being an American is an Honor, as well as being a Great Responsibility and a Wonderful Adventure. This is a place for people who believe we live in a Great Country. A welcoming refuge for legal immigrates, who want to contribute their talents and abilities to make our way of life even greater. We believe we should enjoy the company in the support of each other. Delight in the creativity ingenuity and work ethic of one and all. While observing the basic Rules of Civility and Mutual Respect and most importantly strengthen our diversity for Unity, Unity for us, Unity for one and All. This nation is for those committed to the Core Principles of Tolerance, Open Debate and Civil Discourse. It is for those opposed to Intolerance, Excessive Governmental Control of our lives and attempts to monopolize ones opinion, suppress freedom of thought, expression and worship. We invite all people who shear these values to join us here in this nation.

BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS IN YOUR MIND

As we go through life, many of the barriers and obstacles that keep us from being successful come from within. We create limits for ourselves and then don’t think it’s possible to go beyond those limits.

But once those barriers are broken we often look back and realize that the barrier was in our minds. Not in reality.

It was 49 years ago - May 6, 1954 - that Roger Bannister, a 25 year old medical student, broke the Four-Minute Mile Barrier. A barrier that many “experts” felt was impossible to cross, because they ‘knew’ that the human body couldn’t run that fast.

But what’s the difference between running 4:01.4, which at the time was the current world record set by Sweden’s Gunder Haegg in 1945 and running 3:59.4? Only two seconds. Just a couple of steps.

That must have been what Roger Bannister had been thinking as he trained for what many track-and-field experts consider to be the most important event in the sport’s history.

In 1946, Bannister had gone to Oxford University in England to study medicine. In his spare time he focused his energies on the track, becoming an accomplished middle distance runner.

For middle distance runners, the fascination was The Four-Minute Mile, for it was widely assumed that it was impossible for a human being to run a mile under four minutes.

Bannister believed it was possible, and he used his knowledge as a physician to give him as much help as possible. He painstakingly researched the mechanical aspects of running, and developed scientific training methods to aid him.

Bannister’s plan was to break the four-minute barrier with the help of two friends who would be his ‘rabbits.’

Chris Brasher would run the first half-mile, with Bannister just behind; and Chris Chataway would run the second half-mile.

Brasher ran the first lap in 57.5 seconds and passed the half-mile mark in 1 minute 58 seconds. Then Brasher dropped out and Chataway took the lead. Bannister passed the three quarter mark at 3 minutes 0.7 seconds.

At the beginning of the back stretch of the final lap, about three hundred yards from the finish, Bannister passed Chataway and sprinted toward the finish line. This is how Bannister described those few final moments:

“I had a moment of mixed joy and anguish, when my mind took over. It raced well ahead of my body and drew my body compellingly forward.

“I felt that the moment of a lifetime had come. There was no pain, only a great unity of movement and aim. The world seemed to stand still, or did not exist.

“The only reality was the next two hundred yards of track under my feet. The tape meant finality - extinction perhaps.

“I felt at that moment that it was my chance to do one thing supremely well. I drove on, impelled by a combination of fear and pride.

“The air I breathed filled me with the spirit of the track where I had run my first race. The noise in my ears was that of the faithful Oxford crowd. [A thousand strong.]

“Their hope and encouragement gave me greater strength. I had now turned the last bend and there were only fifty yards more.

“My body had long since exhausted all its energy, but it went on running just the same. The physical overdraft came only from greater willpower.

“This was the crucial moment when my legs were strong enough to carry me over the last few yards as they could never have done in previous years.

“With five yards to go the tape seemed almost to recede. Would I ever reach it?

“Those last few seconds seemed never-ending. The faint line of the finishing tape stood ahead as a haven of peace, after the struggle.

“The arms of the world were waiting to receive me if only I reached the tape without slackening my speed.

“If I faltered, there would be no arms to hold me and the world would be a cold, forbidding place, because I had been so close.

“I leapt at the tape like a man taking his last spring to save himself from the chasm that threatens to engulf him.

“My effort was over and I collapsed almost unconscious, with an arm on either side of me. It was only then that real pain overtook me.

“I felt like an exploded flashlight with no will to live; I just went on existing in the most passive physical state without being quite unconscious.

“Blood surged from my muscles and seemed to fell me. It was as if all my limbs were caught in an ever-tightening vice. I knew that I had done it before I even heard the time.

“I was too close to have failed, unless my legs had played strange tricks at the finish by slowing me down and not telling my tiring brain that they had done so.”

The time was announced. “Three… “

The rest was drowned out in the cheers.

Bannister ran 3:59.4. He broke the Four-MinuteMile Barrier.

Crashing A Barrier

John Landy, who was considered one of the great milers of that era, had never gotten closer than with 1.5 seconds of the 4-minute barrier.

But 46 days after Bannister’s breakthrough, Landy surpassed the record, running 3:57.9 in Finland.

Later in the year in the “Mile of the Century” there was a runoff to decide who was the faster mile. Bannister won in 3:58.8 to Landy’s 3:59.6, the first time two men in one race had broken 4 minutes.

By the end of 1957, 16 runners had logged sub-4-minute miles.

Fast forward to July 7, 1999. Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco set the world of 3:43.13 - an incredible 55.78 seconds per lap. This was the 19th time the record for the mile had been broken since 1954.

To date, 955 runners have run sub-four-minute miles, accomplishing it an astonishing 4700+ times.

What Barriers Are Keeping You Back

Forty-nine years ago Roger Bannister broke through the Four-Minute Mile barrier. What barriers are keeping you back?

What negative thoughts are in the back of you mind.

·         That wee small voice that says

·         You’re not good enough.

·         You don’t have enough talent.

·         You don’t have enough education/training.

Don’t accept it. Don’t listen to it. Forge ahead.

Turn those negative thoughts into positive actions generating phenomenal results.

How many nay-sayers do you have in your life?

·         People who pull you down, instead of building you up.

·         People who take from you, but don’t give anything back.

·         People who drain you of your energy, enthusiasm and your dreams.

Remove them from your life. Surround yourself with positive uplifting, encouraging, supportive people. People who want to see you succeed.

What are your dreams? Goals? Ambitions? Where do you want to go? What do you want to become?

Roger Bannister wanted to become a physician. But along the way he wanted to do the impossible. He did both.

His name is forever etched in history.

When asked about his momentous feat, Bannister explained, “It’s the ability to take more out of yourself than you’ve got.”

Are you successful? 

These are some of the characteristics that make Successful People Successful.

First, there are five things that all successful people have:

1. A dream.  
2. A plan.  
3. Specific knowledge or training.  
4. A willingness to work hard.  
5. The unwillingness to take no for an answer.  

Success is a state of mind. That you must believe you’ll be successful if you’re going to become successful. Keep that in mind as you read the list.

1. Successful people have a dream. They have a well-defined purposes. They have definite goals. They know what they want.
2. Their strong desire brings strong results. They go out and do things that others say can’t be done.
3. Successful people ask the question: “What is possibly missing that I could do today to move me closer to achieving my dream?” They ask this question every hour of every day. They have it printed on the bathroom mirror, on their computer monitor and on their dashboard: “What is possibly missing?”
4. They understand that nothing kills accomplishment like trying to be perfect. They seek excellence, which allows for making mistakes and learning from them. “Progress, not perfection.” Perfection Kills.
5. Successful people have ambition. They want to accomplish something. They have enthusiasm, commitment, and pride. They have self-discipline.
6. They’re willing to work hard. They have a burning desire to succeed. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
7. Successful people are strongly motivated to achieve. They take great satisfaction in accomplishing tasks.
8. Successful people are focused. They ruthlessly concentrate on their main goals and objectives. They learn to recognize distractions and they make a habit of blowing them away at first recognition.
9. They don’t procrastinate; they don’t get sidetracked. They focus on the tasks that are important; that make a difference. They’re productive; not just busy.
10. Successful people learn how to get things done. They use their skills, talents, energies, and knowledge to the fullest. They also surround themselves with the best people and make sure those people get a win for helping them achieve their goals.
11. They do the things that need to be done, not just the things they like to do, and they’re willing to work hard at it.
12. Successful people take responsibility for their actions. They don’t make excuses. They don’t blame others. They don’t whine and complain. They are both responsible and accountable; “If it is to be, it is up to me” is their mantra.
13. Successful people look for solutions to problems. They’re opportunity-minded. When they see opportunities they take advantage of them.
14. Successful people make decisions. They think about the issues and relevant facts and make a decision. They don’t put decisions off. They know the key to making decisions is to either seek clarity (e.g. get missing information) or simply take a stand and say “I am going to decide to do this even though I know that I don’t have perfect information”.
15. If you have trouble making decisions, try this: Spend more time thinking and planning before you make up your mind. You’ll make better decisions.
16. When you don’t get the expected results from the decision you’ve made, change your course. Make decisions and try them out. Don’t carve them in stone.
17. Successful people have the courage to admit they’ve made a mistake. When you make a mistake, admit it, fix it, and proceed. Don’t waste time, energy, money, or other resources trying to defend a mistake or a bad decision.
18. Successful people have — or know how to get — the talent, knowledge, training and skills they need.
19. They know the things they need to know. And, when they need information, knowledge, or skills and talents that they don’t possess, they find someone who does possess them.
20. Successful people work and cooperate with other people. They have positive, outgoing personalities. They surround themselves with people who offer them help, support, and encouragement. They are leaders.
21. Successful people are enthusiastic. They’re excited by what they’re doing, and that excitement is contagious. They draw people to them because these people want to work with them, do business with them, and be with them.

A is for Attitude  

Your attitude can make or break you. Fortunately, you can also make and break your attitude.  

“The greatest discovery of our time is that a man can change his life by changing the way he thinks.”  

“A man is about as happy as he makes up his mind to be.”  

“One’s attitude at the beginning of a task, more than any other single factor, determines the outcome.”   

Why is attitude important in our business? If we wait for outside events to improve our attitude, we’ll have an awfully inconsistent record. Markets drop, traffic slows, weather turns bad, friends ignore us, clients leave, and our spouse doesn’t understand us. Yet we need to approach each day with a positive expectancy. Or maybe not every day, just each day that ends in “y.” If our attitude determines our success, then do we just wait for those days when we have a good attitude to go into work?

Thankfully, there are things we can do to manage and create a good attitude.  

Here are 10 quick, simple ‘tude-tuning techniques you can apply right now:  

1.           Act positive and assumptive. Although your actions can follow your feelings, your feelings can also follow your actions. Raise your head high, take a deep breath, smile, and see if you feel anything but positive. Your mind will pick up on the cues from your body.   

2.           Walk the walk. When you’re going somewhere, watch how people move out of the way for someone who looks like she knows where she is going. Only 2% of people have a sense of urgency. Cultivate yours.   

3.           Talk the talk. When you ask someone, “How are you doing?” how often do you hear, “Pretty good for a Monday,” or “Not bad, considering.” I have an optometrist friend whose signature answer is, “Happy and enthusiastic!” No wonder he was a top athlete in high school and college, and became famous for his charitable work. Why not answer, “How are you doing?” with “Great! But it’ll get better!” or “If I was doing any better, I’d have to be two people.”  

4.           Hang around positive people. You wouldn’t let someone come into your living room and dump garbage all around, would you? Why would you spend time with people who do that to your mind and to their own?  

5.           Speak well of other people. The winners I know absolutely refuse to say anything bad about anyone. They speak highly of everyone they know.  

6.           Read motivational books every day. You wouldn’t go a day without eating, so why go a day without feeding your mind? If you need some motivational references, consider The Magic of Thinking Big, by Thomas Schwartz, or See You At the Top, by Zig Ziglar.  

7.           Listen to tapes. I mentioned this to a group of FAIT’s in our New York office and pointed down to a tape store we could see from the office window. One FAIT went out and bought some tapes that day, listened to them on the subway, and came back the next day unstoppable!   

8.           Be positive with clients today. As a colleague often tells me, clients can “read and see your attitude before they hear your words.”   

9.           Talk to yourself. Brian Tracy, who has studied and spoken on the subject of success, says that salespeople can improve their performance dramatically by simply repeating, “I like myself, I love my work,” before each client call. He also says that 95% of emotions depend on how you talk to yourself.  

10.        Think how. When 350,000 salespeople were asked what they thought about during the course of a day, most of them said bills, problems with orders, or worries about that day’s sales. The top 10% were thinking about their goals and how to reach them. If you think about what you don’t want, such as problems and worries, then you can be sure you’ll attract problems and worries to you like iron filings to a magnet. However, if you think about what you want and how to get it, you’ve just increased the odds of achieving your heart’s desire by 100%. “The world is full of people who are doing the things that failures do and expecting to get the things that successful people get. When it doesn’t work, they blame other people, the market, or circumstances.”

1. Some Burn Hot & Fast, but don’t last very long.

2. Some Burn for awhile, but don’t throw off much heat.

3. Some Smolder Beautifully for a Long Time.

Which is Yours?

So….. You Dropped Out of School, because You’re Smarter than Everyone Else!

I have 3 Words for You! Dumb-Ass!

“Ding”

“Fries Are Ready!”