Tiny Buddha's Guide to Loving Yourself

by Lori Deschene 

This book was a holiday gift from my son Jason. He knows I love three kinds of books: memoirs, self-help and business. He knows I am on a spiritual path and my theme for 2014 is gratitude.  

This book is about loving yourself because that is the foundation for finding inner peace, happiness and the ability to love others. The author and other contributors share stories (which I also love) and insights on how to overcome our frailties and to recognize our potential, a topic I frequently speak on. 

"Tiny Buddha is a moving and insightful synthesis of evocative stories and ancient wisdom applied to modern life."  

Enjoy a quote each month from my book - some funny, some poignant, some professional, some just darn cute!

"I hope in this year to come you're making mistakes. If you're making mistakes you're doing something."

                                ~Neil Gaiman

Dave's formal title is President, Dialog Consulting Group. 

From 2005 to 2009 he was CEO of TalkShoe, a social media company now serving more than one million monthly listeners...and the fabulous company I use to produce my monthly teleseminars.  

Snapchat - Please Warn Your Kids

There's a hot, new service the younger crowd is using now that they've spurned Facebook. It's called Snapchat. Facebook reportedly tried to buy Snapchat last fall for something like $3 billion. No deal.

By the way, in case you're not familiar with Facebook, you might be interested to know that it's "a tool for connecting with old people."

Why use Snapchat instead? It's seems that the younger generation (call them the Millennials) is finally becoming aware of the downside of over-sharing, at least when done publicly where a parent, teacher, or future employer might see it.

Snapchat allows you to send a photo or short video to a friend, but with one special caveat. They can see it for just a few seconds before it goes poof (anywhere from 1 to 10 seconds as specified by the sender). It's (supposedly) deleted even from Snapchat's servers. No word about the National Security Agency's servers...

It seems like a great idea right? So why do I say to warn your kids?

I have an iPad Air and iPhone 5S. These Apple products have a handy little feature that I use every day. Maybe you do, too. Whenever I've got something on the screen that I want to save, say an article from The Wall Street Journal, I press the Power button and the Home button (the round one on the front screen) simultaneously... for just a fraction of a second and voil�, it takes a picture of the screen. The article is saved forever in my photo roll.

This very handy function is called screen snap or screen shot. It also works on Droids, typically by pressing the Power and Volume-Down buttons together (note: some Android devices work differently). If you've never tried it, I bet you'll find a reason to use it everyday.

The problem is that you can even do a screen snap while viewing a Snapchat. Yes, it requires a little more dexterity because you have to touch and hold the screen to view Snapchat, and then click the other two buttons simultaneously, but it's not that hard.

Snapchat even knows this can happen (and apparently can't prevent it). The app notifies a sender when an image has been captured, but there's nothing anyone can do about it other than the recipient.

Bottom line: Snapchat is a very cool tool but it provides a false sense of security when sharing photos and videos. The pictures aren't entirely ephemeral. As with every other form of electronic communication, you should assume that it exists forever. Like I said, warn your kids.

John Godoy is a healthy lifestyle expert. Through personal coaching, training and healthy lifestyle seminars, John guides clients in developing and sticking to the healthy habits necessary to tap their bodies enormous energy reserves - enriching their personal and

professional lives.

2014: The Fittest Year of Your Life!

His website is www.johngodoy.com

That was the name of one of my businesses and oh, come on, I know guys cook, too.

Salted Caramel-Pretzel Thumbprints 

Makes about 24 cookies 

1-1/2 cups broken thin pretzel sticks, separated

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 

2/3 cup sugar 

2 large egg yolks 

2 tablespoons honey 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon fine salt 

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce 

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling 

Put 1/4 cup pretzels in resealable plastic bag and crush into coarse crumbs with a rolling pin. 

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. 

Whisk egg yolks, honey, vanilla and fine salt in medium bowl, then add to butter mixture and beat until incorporated. 

Reduce mixer speed to low; add flour and pretzel crumbs and beat until just combined. 

Put remaining 1-1/4 cups pretzels in the resealable bag and roughly crush with the rolling pin; spread on a rimmed baking sheet. 

Drop tablespoonfuls of dough on top and roll into balls, pressing so the pretzels adhere. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. 

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. 

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange cookies about 1-1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets; make a deep indentation in each with your thumb. 

Bake, switching the position of the pans halfway through, until lightly golden, 15 to 18 minutes. 

Re-indent with the back of a teaspoon, if necessary. Let cool 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely. 

Fill each indentation with dulce de leche and sprinkle with sea salt.

If your new year's resolution is to get a six pack...

Take 6 minutes to start your new year by enjoying 

the poem, the video and the music. (Thank you, Paul Loomis.)

Visionary - adjective (esp. of a person), thinking about or planning the future with imagination or wisdom   

I speak of volunteerism is my speeches. I tell stories to inspire and challenge audiences to volunteer as individuals, as responsible business and community leaders. as parents/grandparents, and to get their children involved early. By the way, volunteerism is the number one way to raise self-esteem. What are you doing in this visionary effort? Each month I will give you a link to a site where you can volunteer. Please send me a link to your favorite volunteer opportunity to post. 

7 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Volunteering 

How to Find a Great Volunteer Opportunity 

By Joanne Fritz

Do you volunteer? If so, congratulations! Volunteerism is one of the most cherished of American values. You are one of the nearly 62.8 million Americans who volunteer every year, and the worth of your volunteer time has reached $21.79 per hour.

If you are looking for a way to volunteer or do more of it, here are some tips for finding that perfect volunteer spot. 

1. Identify the causes you're passionate about.  

Do you feel strongly about a particular problem or issue? Just to think, "Oh, well, volunteering would be a nice thing to do," isn't really enough. You might start, but will you stick with it? If you feel strongly about something, such as animals, homelessness, women's rights, world poverty, or helping children, then that is a very good sign and the start of a great volunteer experience. 

Check out where Mikki will be speaking and piggyback your company or association event. Or just invite her to dinner or shopping!

Click here for her calendar:   

Mikki On The Move

To hire Mikki or learn more about any of these services:

CALL ME: 312.664.8447

E ME: mikki@mikkiwilliams.com

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