Kevin W. McCarthy

The Professor of On-Purpose

Current Affairs

Are You Backed Up?

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Time MachineTime Machine Image via Wikipedia

I thought I was backed up, but I wasn’t.  By the way, I’m talking computers here, not colons! You’ll notice there is a production gap with the On-Purpose® Minute and On-Purpose Business Minute as a result.  On January 20, my hard drive crashed and I soon discovered that my Time Machine back-up hadn’t backed up since Nov. 11, 2009. It was my fault because I must have changed the schedule.

What appeared at first to be a true loss is being transformed into a real win.  Watch and let me know your thoughts.

On the practical side of backing up your data, here are links to virtual back-up services for your hard drive back-up needs.  I can’t make a recommendation yet, but I’m sharing some of the services I’m researching.

www.Carbonite.com    www.Mozy.com    www.IDrive.com    www.sosonlinebackup.com        www.backupmyinfo.com

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin

Want to send me present?  How about a 2TB Time Capsule!  The 1TB will work too! 😉

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How Will You Grow Your Business In 2010?

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View of Wall Street, Manhattan.Image via Wikipedia

If you are in business, then you’re looking for ways to grow your business.  Business growth means many things to many people.  Depending upon your position and responsibility, you may measure business growth differently.  Some may look at financially measured items such as: sales units, revenues, commissions, gross or net profit.   Others may look at differently measured items such as added capacity, increasing relationships, processing more widgets, hiring more people, or such.  

Like beauty, business growth is in the eye of the beholder.  Decide what it means to you, then make very simple plans to grow your business in 2010 using the three essentials recommended in today’s On-Purpose® Business Minute.

Use this link for information about The On-Purpose Leader workshop I’ll be facilitating on Feb 5, 2010 in Orlando, FL.

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On-Purpose Profile: Shakira Sings For Education

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ShakiraShakira via last.fm

One's education and life trajectory are highly correlated.  For some reason, however, many segments of our US population (children and parents) view schooling as a prison sentence instead of an opportunity of a lifetime.

Let me assume you don't know of Shakira, a international pop sensation from Colombia, South America, not South Carolina.  This young woman's remarkable voice, talent, and moves (She Wolf song video) have catapulted her to the top of the song charts. 

Shakira, gets it, however, when it comes to education – she is pouring much of her earnings into education by founding a school in her hometown of Barranquilla.  The multiple Grammy winner has gifted $6 million through her foundation, Pies Descalzos, which means "barefoot" in
Spanish, to create a school to help 150 kids get ahead in life.

And if you're tempted to think Shakira is simply an empty-headed, manufactured public relations image, let me encourage you to watch the short video (below) of a speech she gave in the United Kingdom at Oxford Union about the importance of education.

Shakira, you are an on-purpose person!  Thank you for converting your pop
culture fortunes into dollars dedicated to improving the culture of your country.  Your legacy will live in the lives of those children and the
generations to follow.

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There You Go Again, Congress!

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My prediction is that the Health Care Reform Bill about to negotiated between the US House and Senate to put before President Obama will be to health care what the Community Reinvestment Act was to the housing and financial markets – a disaster filled with unintended consequences.  Rather than people losing their homes and facing financial ruin, this time it will be people’s lives and health at stake.  The sub-prime crisis will pale in comparison.

The very engines of wealth creation and free enterprise are being eroded by these proposed policies.  The Community Reinvestment Act fiddled with market economics to qualify previously unqualified borrowers by providing a government backing.  The Health Care Reform Bill is yet another round of government policy rigging the health care system, playing politics and power rather than reforming.  Look no further than the massive fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid systems to see what we have coming our way.  Now multiply this by tens of millions of new people who think insurance is a blank check entitlement to cover their poor choices and unhealthy lifestyle.  

Insurance is a business concept based on actuarial science of share risks. Insurance is not health care.  The very concept of risk-reward and personal responsibility has been lost in the health care reform debate.  We’ve also lost sight of the important role of community hospitals for indigent care.  The Hippocratic Oath remains a prevailing approach to caring for our fellow humans.   Government mandates to universal coverage are yet another falling domino in the Great Society that would undermine greatness and society.  When government steps in as a “brother’s keeper,” then society steps back from helping. 

Please review the track record of greater government direct involvement in non-defense services.  The Declaration and US Constitution speak to the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness, not as the reason for government to be the public option.  Government is to regulate, not run industry.  The current trend is alarmingly off-purpose.

I welcome your opinions.

PS – I found this clip on YouTube about Health Care in the 1980 Presidential Debates with Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.  Reagan’s comeback to Carter inspired the title of this posting.  Enjoy!

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How Would You React?

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My daughter, Anne, is a 16-year-old competitive soccer player.  She serves as a junior captain of her Trinity Prep high school soccer team as well as a player on the Football Club of America (Kumba Soccer) located here in Orlando.  Her Kumba team was having a car wash fund raiser in late September.  An accident occurred where one teammate's foot slipped off the brakes and the car pinned another teammate against a wall.  Bree McMahon's legs were crushed.  Anne was one of many who sprang into action.  She called 911 and provided a towel for Bree's head as she lay on the ground awaiting the arrival of paramedics. 

Initially, we anticipated broken legs and damage to Bree's knees.  The severity of the accident came to light a few hours later when Anne's text from the hospital said, "Bree's legs might have to be amputated because the blood vessels were crushed."  Judith and I immediately headed to the hospital to be and pray with the girls. 

Jenna Bush Hager (George and Laura Bush's daughter) of The Today Show did a feature on Bree.  The clip below tells the story.  You'll also get to see and hear a brief comment from Anne from behind Bree's hospital bed. 

Bree and Chelsea (the driver involved in the freak accident) are young Christian girls whose faith is serving them both well in terms of forgiveness given and received.  The character of both young ladies is remarkable.

If it were your legs crushed that day, how would you respond?  My hope would be that I would have grace and understanding like Bree.

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What Anchors Your Health?

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If you don't know your purpose for being then you are missing out on life… literally.  As you ponder your New Year's Resolutions consider not just what, but why for each of them.

In November, Florida Hospital launched a campaign called Healthy 100.  Their web site headline says,"Have
you ever thought that you could live to be 100 years old? How about
being 100 years old and still doing the things you love? It may sound
unbelievable, but at Florida Hospital, we are on a mission to help you
do just that. Through support and education, we want to help you
kick-start your journey to living a healthier, happier life."

Imagine living to be a healthy 100 year old!

Cover of Cover via Amazon

At the launch event (I attended), Dan Buettner, the author of The Blue Zones, engaged us with his case studies and keys to vitality and longevity which are: Right Outlook, Move Naturally, Eat Wisely, Right Tribe.  Afterward, I spoke with Dan about my work with purpose which falls into the Right Outlook category.  He said to me, "Purpose is the anchor to health, yet it remains the most under celebrated aspect.  Research shows that having a purpose in life adds six to seven years of longevity."

In an article Dan wrote in 2008 for AARP, Dan provides this source, “People who feel their life is part of a larger plan and are guided by
their spiritual values have stronger immune systems, lower blood
pressure, a lower risk of heart attack and cancer, and heal faster and
live longer,” says Harold G. Koenig, M.D., professor of psychiatry and
behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center, who has studied
the phenomenon broadly.

EXTRA: Watch Dan Buettner's interview with Martha Stewart in the first link.

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Are You Thankful For Your Trials?

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Thanksgiving in the United States is a time of reflection on our many blessings.   Has 2009 been a challenging year thus far and are your prospects… well, let's not go there for now.  So in these times, what can we be thankful for in the midst of the suffering?

In today's On-Purpose® Minute, let's explore a few reasons why trials are reason enough for being thankful.

PLEASE listen to this remarkable (link is here) message by my friend, Scott Alexander.  Are you finding the gold nuggets in the mine of suffering?  Scott's message was given at Willow Creek Church in Winter Springs, FL.   Steve Brown of Key Life Ministries chimes in as well after Scott's message. If you've never heard Steve, then you are in for a double treat.

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin

Casting Crowns Music

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Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian band that just had an article written about them entitled Casting Crowns On Purpose.  In the article, the front man, Mark Hall, shares what it means to have a "life on purpose."  He is really close to understanding the power and potential of being on-purpose. 

Back in the late 1980s when I was teaching about on-purpose in the positive, it was very novel.  Until that time, most people would use on purpose to negate a negative, such as, "I didn't mean to spill my milk on purpose."  I knew then, as I still do today that I am pioneering a positive concept whose time has yet to come.  Even today, most people are seeking their purpose, rather than the follow through of living or being on-purpose.

I envisioned the day when the words and concept of being on-purpose would be in the popular culture.  Well, it continues to creep into everyday use more and more as the Casting Crowns article indicates.  I must admit a certain measure of joy mixed with disappointment because
the general use of purpose is misunderstood and the concept / lifestyle
of being on-purpose is used far too cavalierly. 

Pastor Rick Warren's work, The Purpose Driven Life popularized the use of purpose; unfortunately, it was a watered down version of the concept.  Oh well, I persevere in this calling trusting the results to God.

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin