HODGEPODGE BLOG

There are professional and personal leaders that have been an important part of many
lives and you may now find yourself as a leader as teacher, soldier, CEO, spouse or
parent. True leaders have vision, values, determination and the courage to make tough
decisions. Enjoy the 3 minute movie, The Essence of Leadership, to understand the keys to
successful leadership presented in an unforgettable way.

Inspire your team, family and friends toward leadership qualities today!

Kind regards,

Linda Ellis has mastered the art of communicating the “Simple Truths of Life.” Her famous poem, The Dash, has only 239 words, but truly captures why we were put on this earth. Since we released the 3 minute “Dash movie,” over 30 million people have watched it on the internet and the feedback from around the world has been nothing short of amazing!

Today, however, we’re proud to bring you Linda’s new movie, Simple Truths of Life. The photographs, the music, but especially the words, are presented in an unforgettable way. Just sit back, turn up your speakers and click here to watch the Simple Truths of Life. And just in case you haven’t seen The Dash, come back and clcik here. You’ll get a “double shot” of inspiration! And feel free to share it by forwarding this email to friends and co-workers. They’ll love you for it!

To Life

Today we celebrate the victory of America’s team, the New Orleans Saints and we are honored that our book, Finish Strong, played a small part in what was an amazing story for a team and a city.

At the beginning of the season, Drew Brees and his team used the Finish Strong book, movie and bracelet to set their sights on the ultimate goal…the Super Bowl.

“Finish Strong” was their rallying cry during the 2009 season. And as they say…the rest is history!.

Inspire your team. Inspire yourself or inspire someone you care about. It worked for the Saints and we think it can work for you. Click here for more information or to watch the Finish Strong movie.

Finish Strong,

Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths

He was named “Coach of the Century” by ESPN. The Super Bowl Trophy is named in his honor. And almost forty years after his death, legendary coach Vince Lombardi’s words still ring true: “Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization – an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same.” His classic words, along with vintage photography, are presented in a beautiful gift book and movie titled What It Takes to Be Number One. Whether your team plays on the field or in the boardroom, this timeless message will inspire you to be number one.

Just click here to watch our What It Takes to be Number One movie and hear excerpts of Lombardi’s most famous speech. It gave me “goose bumps” the first time I heard it!

Also, today, to celebrate next weekend’s Super Bowl XLIV, we’re pleased to offer What It Takes to be Number One book, our 3 minute movie and the 20 minute audio CD of Lombardi speaking to a live audience, for only $12.00 (regular price is $19.95, a 40% savings). This also makes a treasured gift for any sports fan you know!

Note: This offer expires at 11:59PM CST on Monday February 1, 2010.

Live with Passion,

What it Takes to Be #1 with Audio CD and FREE DVD

While the wolf pack may be nature’s most effective hunting machine, it has a failure rate of approximately 90 percent. In other words, statistically, only one time out of 10 does the wolf have a successful hunt, which is so necessary to the survival of the pack. As a result, wolves are often hungry.

Their response is not lethargy, surrender or defeat. They don’t brood or go into depressive funks as people often do. Wolves simply rededicate themselves to the task at hand. They continue to apply their time-tested skills, utilizing the knowledge they have recently acquired from temporary setbacks, confident that success will eventually come. They never stop doing the little things,
attending to every detail as they canvass endless miles each year in search of prey.

The human concept of failure has no relevance to the wolf. An unsuccessful hunt simply hones the skills and replenishes the desire. The mistakes made are not viewed as failures but instead become part of the wolf’s collective knowledge base. It is like entering data into a computer–the knowledge will be there for future use. What humans choose to consider failure, the wolf converts into wisdom.

Wolves seem to prioritize the unsuccessful events in their lives. Nine hunts that yield no results do not deter them, for they know that with the tenth or eleventh or even twelfth, victory will be theirs. These unsuccessful hunts are not failures, such as when a wolf gets careless and allows a moose hoof to hit him in the head and send him to the happy hunting ground. Now that is failure!

Many people view a single “unsuccessful hunt” as a symbol of their failure in life. From the wolf we learn that it is simply time to go hunting again. Failure is an attitude, not a reality. Failure is a perception; success, an illusion. As we humans increasingly turn to lotteries and casinos hoping for the “big hit,” we no longer honor the importance of long-range strategy. Instead, we spend our children’s lunch money for a path through quicksand. This is a predictable road to real failure.
Wisdom of Wolves is one of the most fascinating books I’ve read. I could not put it down! Just click here for more information or to look inside the book.

Wisdom of Wolves

In the wonderful story, Paper Airplane, you will be completely surprised at the
innovation and outside of the box thinking that is revealed. It is the perfect way to
jumpstart creativity with your own team which will increase your competitive advantage.
Enjoy this unique and inspiring movie!

Be sure to share a Simple Truths movie or book on your website, blog or in an email .

There are professional and personal leaders that have been an important part of many
lives and you may now find yourself as a leader as teacher, soldier, CEO, spouse or
parent. True leaders have vision, values, determination and the courage to make tough
decisions. Enjoy the 3 minute movie, The Essence of Leadership, to understand the keys to
successful leadership presented in an unforgettable way.

Inspire your team, family and friends toward leadership qualities today!

Kind regards,

The nest of young eagles hung on every word as the Master Eagle described his exploits. This was an important day for the eaglets. They were preparing for their first solo flight from the nest. It was the confidence builder many of them needed to fulfill their destiny.

“How far can I travel?” asked one of the eaglets.
“How far can you see?” responded the Master Eagle.
“How high can I fly?” quizzed the young eaglet.
“How far can you stretch your wings?” asked the old eagle.
“How long can I fly?” the eaglet persisted.
“How far is the horizon?” the mentor rebounded.
“How much should I dream?” asked the eaglet.
“How much can you dream?” smiled the older, wiser eagle.
“How much can I achieve?” the young eagle continued.
“How much can you believe?” the old eagle challenged.

Frustrated by the banter, the young eagle demanded, “Why don’t you answer my questions?”
“I did.”
“Yes. But you answered them with questions.”

“I answered them the best I could.”
“But you’re the Master Eagle. You’re supposed to know everything. If you can’t answer these questions, who can?”
“You.” The old wise eagle reassured.
“Me? How?” the young eagle was confused.
“No one can tell you how high to fly or how much to dream. It’s different for each eagle. Only God and you know how far you’ll go. No one on this earth knows your potential or what’s in your heart. You alone will answer that. The only thing that limits you is the edge of your imagination.”

The young eagle puzzled by this asked, “What should I do?”

“Look to the horizon, spread your wings, and fly.”
Copyright 2001, Tom Reilly

Tom Reilly wrote this beautiful short story that I share in The Power of Attitude. I thought that it was an unforgettable way to communicate that our potential in life is only limited by our heart and our dreams.
To learn more or look inside the book, just click here.

To see the entire collection click here Simple Truths Inspirational Gift Books

or here Inspirational Gift Books