Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Message

Yes I am thankful today. Family and friends and cats, of course. But in the larger world, I'm thankful for examples of good judgment and plain old common sense overruling personal myopia and corporate greed.

I'm speaking, of course, about the OJ book fiasco. If ever you need a case history in how groupthink can go horribly astray, there it is. That book never got to publication without a lot of people convincing themselves and each other it was a good idea, or at least a moneymaking idea. Somehow they all managed to hold their noses and sign on to the concept that the American public can't get enough of that sick story.

They were spectacularly wrong. To all those independent booksellers who refused to order the book, and to the sponsors who would not be part of the TV circus, and to the bloggers and columnists and publishing professionals who raised such a ruckus...Thank you! In a matter of days you trumped Rupert Murodoch, one of the richest men in the world, and forced him to cancel plans that common sense should have told him were just plain stupid from the beginning.

I love the power of people to say "No!" and make it heard in the most cloistered executive suites. We should remember and use it more often.

(Murdoch photo courtesy of Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch)

"Life Is Too Short to Perfect Your Weaknesses"

It's one of those phrases - you hear it, and in a nanosecond recognize an essential truth, and then in the next wonder why you never understood something so simply profound before. Some people have the knack of saying just what you need to hear at the time. Joeann Fossland is such a person.

If you're not involved in real estate you may not know of Joeann, but take the time now to meet her. Go to her website, Joeann.com, where she promises Relaxed Real Estate for Magnificent Agents through coaching, speaking, and a variety of services. Be sure to read her bio. You'll learn about a fascinating lady with a zest and appreciation for life that is infectious. She’s lived several lives in her one so far, and someday I want to spend an evening just listening to the wonderful stories I’m sure she has to share.

I met Joeann just about a month ago through my good friend and Realtor® extraordinaire, Margaret Rome. We had little time to chat, but I immediately felt that Joeann is giving and caring with the openness that lights the world. If she didn't live in Arizona, I'd be buying her lunch at least once a month just to get a shot of that positive energy.

Joeann helps real estate professionals improve their businesses and their lives. She describes her blog as "Resources, articles and thoughts on being awesomely productive and creative while enjoying a life you love!" What else could you want?

The Joys of Intelligent Conversation

The freedom of the internet allows for a staggering range of opinions, causes, and rants. From esoteric discussions to porn sites, you can find just about anything you want…or wish you’d never seen. People of strong beliefs plant their flags in the blogosphere and fill the cyberair with their “truth.”

It is refreshing, therefore, to find a blog that features intelligent and articulate discourse. OmegaWord is such a weblog. His subtitle is “How do we learn to communicate?” Read him – often – and you’ll be rewarded with a range of subjects and ideas treated with thoughtfulness that is never heavy or inaccessible. Clearly a word lover, he is also a fan of Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac which, as you know, is one of my favorites too. This is one blog worth your time and thought.