Nothing But Nets Article in the New York Times

Nothing But Nets is an incredible organization that purchases anti-malaria nets for families in Africa. I first read about Nothing But Nets in a Sports Illustrated column by Rick Reilly. The idea of this organization is so simple, yet so brilliant. They have one goal: purchase nets to protect families from malaria. Simple. It is easy to understand where your money is going.

I encourage you to learn about Nothing But Nets. The New York Times recently wrote about the organization, which is affiliated with the United Nations.

Here is the New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/us/02malaria.html?ref=health

Here is Rick Reilly's Sports Illustrated column from 2006:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/rick_reilly/04/25/reilly0501/index.html

I will even make a donation for you. Yep, I will purchase two nets ($20) for every review that is posted on Amazon for my book, Make the Right Choice.

I have been told that posted book reviews on Amazon are very important to ranking, search engines, time-space continuum, a free market society, capitalism, democracy, and nation building. Yes, that is quite a bit of responsibility. It is easy to post a review. Just look up a book (for instance, you might look up Make the Right Choice) and then follow the very easy directions to post a review.

I know many of my newsletter readers enjoyed "Make the Right Choice". And I know everyone is very busy, and writing a short book review is not on the top of your priority list this Summer.

If you enjoyed the book, then let the donation be a little incentive to take a couple of minutes and post your thoughts on Amazon. Here is the link to post the review on Amazon. It doesn't have to be long -- short and sweet is perfect. For every new review posted by the end of business on August 1st, I will donate $20 to http://www.nothingbutnets.net/.

Here is to a happy reviewing summer. I will post the grand total donation in August.

Links of the Week on Work Life Balance

I thought I would share a few recent articles on business success and work life balance.

The first article is the cover story for St. Louis Woman Magazine. I met Holly Cunningham, the owner of Hollyberry Baking and Hollyberry Catering, years ago. When I need a special gift for a friend, relative or client, there is nothing better or more unique than a Hollyberry crate box full of awesome (and I don't throw that word around lightly) sweets, cookies and goodies. The article is a great story about entrepreneurship, passion for your work, work/life balance and success.

St. Louis Woman Magazine article about Holly Cunningham.

The second article is about strategic planning from fellow speaker and author, John Spence.

John Spence article.

Finally, check out www.toolsforsuccess.com to see the new pod casts. This is a brand new site and they have really put together a tremendous amount of content. Some of the top authors, experts and speakers are interviewed about such topics as human resources, innovation, customer service, networking, leadership, sales and marketing. My pod cast on the site is here. The site is adding new pod casts every week.

Let me know what you want to see on this blog. Right now, the blog is just an infant. My goal is to post every day or at least every other day. Tell me what you would like to see. Humor? Travel stories? Tips? Articles?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Donny Deutsch: The Lost Photo

It is amazing to me how excited people are when they find out I have appeared on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.

"I love that show."

"What is Donny like?"

"How did you get on the show?"

"What was it like?"

"I watch that show all the time."

Just a few of the comments that I have heard during the past few months. I recently found the one photo I took from my appearance. Which, of course, gives me an excuse to post the interview again. And if you have never seen the interview, well you are in for a treat. Why? Donny gives me a back rub.

Here is the interview:

Here is my article from the show blog:

Enjoy your weekend. And please take a moment to remember all those who have allowed (and continue to allow) you to enjoy a peaceful time with your friends and family.

The HOBY Experience

This is my fifth (I think, it could be 6th) year to speak at the HOBY Texas North Leadership Seminar. This event easily is one of my favorite of the year.

HOBY is an all volunteer organization focused on building leadership skills for high school sophomores. The HOBY ambassadors (one per school) attend the Leadership Seminar each Spring and get the chance to learn, create, and build communication, teamwork and leadership skills. Speakers come from business, media, politics, law to talk to the students.

The HOBY story is a great one. It all started with a television actor who spent some time with Dr. Albert Schweitzer.

If you ever doubt the future of our country or doubt the spirit, energy, creativity and leadership of today's kids, I encourage you to volunteer with your local HOBY chapter. Meet some of the HOBY ambassadors. I guarantee you will be inspired and impressed. These kids are amazing, and the HOBY experience is truly rewarding.

If you are interested in HOBY, please visit http://www.hoby.org/. There are chapters across the country (and many chapters in other countries). If you live in North Texas, visit http://www.hobytexasnorth.org/.

To all my HOBY friends, thank you again for another great experience. Outstanding!

John Spence Article in Change This

A friend and fellow speaker recently posted a "manifesto" on the Change This web site. If you have never visited the site, I encourage you to take a look. Authors, experts, speakers and others submit proposals for their "manifestos" on a certain topic. If the article is accepted, the "manifesto" is published on the site.

Here is what John wrote about his article:

"It overviews what I believe are the six most important things every company MUST focus on to achieve and sustain success. I read more than 160,000 pages in order to develop the ideas I put forth in the 16 pages of this manifesto — so there are likely at least a few good ideas in there for you to steal."

Here is the link to John's "manifesto": http://www.changethis.com/46.01.AchievingExcellence

Until the next post, don't forget to Bunny, Bunny, Bunny today.

My first Podcast: Where's my iPod (Redux)

Okay, I was having some issues with the Amazon feed for this post. So, I am reposting. Hopefully, the links will work this time.

Thanks to http://www.toolsforsuccess.com/ I have jumped into the world of podcasts. My first podcast is now available here.

Just in case the link doesn't work for Amazon, please cut and paste: http://media.toolsforsuccess.com/joel-zeff-make-the-right-choice-creating-a-positive-innovative-and-productive-work-life/

The interview is fun, informative, interesting, fast-paced and probably the feel good podcast of the summer. People will be talking about three things this summer: Iron Man, the Democratic primary race that will never end, and my first podcast.

In full disclosure, I do not own an iPod. Yes, I realize my hipness quotient is low. Yes, I realize I may be the last person in America without an iPod. Yes, now that I have a podcast, I may look into purchasing an iPod.

Enjoy. Listen. Comment. Share. Until next time, don't forget to give a few Ta-Da's this week.

My first Podcast: Where's my iPod?

Thanks to Toolsforsuccess.com I have jumped into the world of podcasts. My first podcast is now available here.

The interview is fun, informative, interesting, fast-paced and probably the feel good podcast of the summer. People will be talking about three things this summer: Iron Man, the Democratic primary race that will never end, and my first podcast.

In full disclosure, I do not own an iPod. Yes, I realize my hipness quotient is low. Yes, I realize I may be the last person in America without an iPod. Yes, now that I have a podcast, I may look into purchasing an iPod.

Enjoy. Listen. Comment. Share. Until next time, don't forget to give a few Ta-Da's this week.