Thank you much for your thoughts and prayers.  Not quite off the PUP list, but hey – I work sitting down, right?

Thought I was out of the worst part – until last night.  I skipped a pain pill (testing myself? being a "man"?)…and I paid for it.  We’ll see what my doctor says today.

Two reasons I’m focused on listening to the medical pros:

1. I have no experience with this stuff (except for watching others go through it)
2. They’ve spent their adult life studying this stuff

I’m relying on the doctors to fix — or tell me how to fix — what’s going on. I’m sure if I stop listening, they’ll stop advising.

So for now, while work needs to get done, this blog doctor is going slow.

Thanks again for good thoughts and greater patience:-)

Reminded: My wife reminds me of the thyroid challenge I had in ’93 (hyper). While somewhat serious, there was no physical pain and everything was outpatient. Still, I guess the current situation isn’t my first health-related battle.

I’ve been blessed in my life to never had the experience of a surgery – not bad for a 46-year young.  Today, I thought that would change.

What began Monday night as a sharp pain in my lower back escalated to excruciating pain throughout my back and in my chest. Knocked me to my knees.

Cindy and I went to Iowa Methodist Hospital, where the brand must be loving care – because I was on the receiving end of a bunch!

Turns out, kidney infection of some sort. They filled me up with medication which made me feel goo-ood…for a few hours. 

At the insistence of a few friends and my loving doctors (including my wife, Cindy), I’m on the Physically Unable to Perform list for a few days. 

If I’m on a project for you, let’s push it back a day or two, hmm?  Thanks:-)

Both Terry (the originator) and Drew (the bartender) have asked me "What’s in Your Glass?"

Here’s how this is working:

1. How full is your glass?
2. What kind of glass is it?
3. What’s in the glass?
4. Reasons for above.

Telling everyone my cup is filled with Panera coffee would surprise no one. So let’s look at this differently:

1. My glass is often full, but the contents often evolve.
2. A glass-bottom boat. It allows us to see things from a different perspective. Even those that aren’t comfortable on water can experience the wonders of the sea.
3. Others (it’s even the name of the boat)
4. Everyone is invited along for the ride. We eliminate those that don’t care about others – and while it’s tempting to throw them over, we wait until we dock.

How about yourself? How full is your glass? Tell us on your site and link back to Terry’s original post (above).

Photo on Flickr by mafleen

How FAR would you GO to have you small talk mean something? And doesn’t every word you say (or write) have the potential to make a difference? You betcha!

Somehow, "Hey, How Are Ya?" just doesn’t cut it anymore, though I’ve been given plenty of pause when I ask folks "Hey, What’s Good in Your Life?" 

People…just aren’t…used to that…(yet).

That’s one reason I’m excited about BIGGER SMALL TALK on June 27-28. The slide show above (or on SlideShare) will give you and idea what’s about to happen in Fargo, ND.  And I hope you’re there with me (and Phil, and Jodee, and Pam, and Jane, and Mitch, and Dick Richards…)

What’s it all about? The Bigger Small Talk site has all the details. See you there!

My grandfather (Nanu to us) used to drive my Nana crazy when he was behind the wheel.

Even if the trip was only a few miles, my Nanu’s eyes would travel three times farther – always looking side-to-side as much as straight ahead.

"John, why you no keep-a you eyes on the road?" she used to shriek.

He had a simple, but brilliant answer. "I see things other people miss."  And he’d glance in the rear view at me and smile.

As I’m writing this and remembering, I’m just now realizing that while he drove with his eyes bouncing in all directions, he still recognized the opportunity to teach me something – and glance behind him to drive home the point. Vision at 360 degrees. The original Mad-Eye Moody.

Peripheral vision is a muscle to build up, or it can atrophy. What do you see around you? Can you use some of that in your business?  Your Blog?

In hotels, Dialing 8 was calling long distance. In baseball, Dialing 8 is a home run. In blogging, Dialing 8 is a set of posts from a blogger that I find lasting long and being strong – the cornerstones.

Among the first words I ever read at Passion Meets Purpose:

"I LOVE thunderstorms. I was like a kid in a candy store. You couldn’t wipe the grin off my face. The feel of the COOL air whipping across my face was a lil’ slice of heaven." (sounds like Passion to me)

"How amazing is it, that Mother Nature knows what she needs best and doesn’t mind who gets pissed off in the midst of her temper tantrum!?" (a Purpose within the Passion)

And so began my addiction to Kammie Kobyleski and her message:

1. The Search for Passion & Purpose
2. I’m a Crayon Breaker! or Creativity Kicks Ass
3. Delicious Ambiguity
4. Visions of a Passionate & Purposeful Life
5. Setting Your Soul on Fire & Creating a Ripple Effect
6. L-O-V-E + Y-O-U = the GIFT of LIFE
7. Who Do You Think You Are – and other Fears of Living on Purpose
8. The 6th of July – Re-write Your Life Day

Two others that almost made this a Dialing 10:

• Love, Life & The Pursuit of Happiness
• Hero & Terrorist – The Battle of Mind, Body & Spirit

I had the pleasure of a quick hello with Kammie at SOBCon07. If I could have a do-over, I’d have spent more time on her side of the conference room. Next year.

More Passion Meets Purpose:
RSS Feed | MyBlogLog Community | LinkedIn | Compass Life Designs

The few minutes leading up to my social media workshops and business blog classes, I usually run a video from TED Talks Library. They keep the audience engaged, opens their minds and segues into web publishing in different ways.

Prior to yesterday’s social media workshop, I showed this brain-bending piece by Al Seckel

Or watch the video at TED Talks.

In the video, you’ll see (or will you?) how the perceptions we have stored are often illusions.

The reason this was perfect for yesterday’s workshop is the subject matter discussed: Perceptions of Bloggers

Had a white board with that plastered in big letters up until a few days ago.

Then I read this post at Simplenomics:Mediocrity is a Sin. Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Sigers.

Solution? Here’s a memo from Seth

Want more? From Creating Passionate Users

Will you be attending the Emerging Technologies Conference at Iowa State at the end of the month? I’m planning on it – hope to see you there.

From the Conference site:

ETC2007 kicks off Wednesday, April 25th with the fourth annual HCI Forum: Designing Interaction 2007. The three day event will feature talks by Don Norman, Neal Stephenson, Guy Kawasaki, and Raghu Ramakrishnan. Other events include the grand opening of the Virtual Reality Applications Center’s newly upgraded C6 on Thursday and the announcement of unique new initiative during Industry Innovation Day on Friday.

Don’t miss the IgniteIT event on Thursday night.

Jesse tagged me to post about my Living Large Goals. While thinking about it, really – my mind keeps returning to something Maria Palma said to me – "back to basics"

- Engage in Conversation: If this site has become popular, the main reason is because of the engagement principles and habits I used to employ. I’ve lost some of that. (Joanna – thanks for your patience. I think about you daily).

- BlogTalkRadio interviews: I’ve been looking to schedule small business owners about their blogs. (Richard, I’m coming for you)

- Dialing 8 and Whistle Stops: These features introducing readers to the foundational posts of generous geniuses in the blogosphere are popular. Gotta get back to those.

- Read Books: I’m so far behind on my reading (skimming?). I’ve had Duct Tape Marketing just about everywhere I go, but have yet to dive in. Has someone invented an IV for books yet?

Sometimes living large means paying attention to the details. Back to basics.