Make 2011 Your Best Year Ever!

• Are you feeling a little down or maybe even disappointed in where you are in your life right now?
• Did you think you would be doing better and be further along the path to success in your life right now?

We've all heard the definition of insanity - continue doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. Maybe NOW is the time to do things differently.

Making a difference requires a different type of thinking. Making a difference means (maybe "requires") doing things differently. Maybe it's time for a turning point in your life.

I HAVE FANTASTIC NEWS FOR YOU! No matter what your past has been, it is just that, your past. Yesterday is HISTORY, tomorrow is a mystery, TODAY is a gift, that is why it is called "The Present." You get to choose how you use your gifts.

The experiences you create are the moments that will define you. Everyone will miss you when you're gone, because we will always remember the mark that you made on us and our lives. You can choose your own, new, way starting today. You chose your way in the past, and if that was intentional or not, you now have the evidence of how that past choice turned out. If it was a good choice, you will see some good things, but remember you can always improve the good to reach great. If you made some poor or bad choices, that too will show, but again, that is history and you are starting today with a brand new blank canvas and you can paint a completely different picture of yourself then you've ever painted before.

January 2011 is filled with just as much magic as December 2010 was. However, this is a different type of magic. This is the magic that you create for yourself, versus the magic that was artificially created by the media (the world) for you in December. 2011 will be a lesson in flexibility. Transformations are amazing things, but sometimes can be frustrating thing - after all when things around you change it can be difficult for you to adjust to them. Up is suddenly down, black is suddenly white and many things that you thought you had figured out before are suddenly not making much sense these days.

Once again - GREAT NEWS - you can create that change for yourself, you can transform yourself, you can adjust yourself and your world as YOU want it. You've got the ambition and the passion to radically redesign your future and maybe every one's future. In those famous words of Nike - "Just Do It!" Make YOUR smile light up every room. Make every sunrise and sunset surprise you with it's magnificence. Listen to that small still voice inside of you the next time it has an idea and carry that idea forward to everything you do that day. Listen, NO REALLY LISTEN, to the questions being asked, then stop and think before you reply.

Take the time right now, today, to think, plan, evaluate, and set priorities for your day, week, month, year and yes even your life. Failure to plan is the same as planning to fail. I can assure you of this:

• You won't be disappointed or down on your life if you go where you choose to create.
• You will be doing better and be further along on your path to success.

My wish for you today is that you see things in a new light, and that gratitude be your friend as you want on the road towards your destiny. Make it a great day my friend.

Steve

1-1-11. Happy New Year.

The year of 2010 is gone, finished, past, we cannot undo it, or reclaim it. We cannot change the great distance it has brought us. When today dawned it brought us another day, another year, another chance to change what we want to change about ourselves and our lives.
Today is a time that many stop and reflect, evaluate, and plan for the coming year. That is a good practice, but it is only the first step on this journey. By the first signs of spring (whenever that may be depending on where you live) most of us will have long forgotten today's learning's and plans and be firmly on that same path we just decided to leave. Why? We're not lazy (well maybe some of us are sometimes), we're not stupid, most of us aren't sadistic and wanting to recreate more pain for ourselves, then why don't we carry out the plans we just spent time today to formulate? My personal answer is my lack of focus. I start with the best of intentions and then something else takes my eye and I lose just a little focus on what I have planned. I go for that instant gratification instead of sticking to my plan - after all - I've got all year to complete my plan don't I?
Well, in 2011 my plan is to WORK MY PLAN - STICK TO MY PLAN - ACCOMPLISH MY PLAN, and I will track my plan with milestone markers tied to specific dates. I will reclaim my life and start my own personal revolution.
A good friend of mine, and an unpaid mentor for me, in early December gave me a wonderful book called "The Hamster Revolution - Get Control of Meetings." The book was a very short read (think less than 2 hours) and it has a WOW factor of 10+ for me. So much so that I did 2 solid actions shortly after reading that book - 1. I bought 2 more copies and sent them to some other friends that I know would benefit from the book, and 2. I bought the 2nd book called "The Hamster Revolution - Stop Info-Glut - and - reclaim your life." Again another quick read book (another 2 hours or less) but I must confess that I WILL be re-reading both books, page by page again much more slowly as I reorganize my life. I very highly recommend you go to your computer today and check out this website: WWW.Getcontrol.net and see for yourself what you've been missing in our life.
One of my most popular resolutions every year is to read more (or listen to more) books during the year. Problem always arises that I can't find the time to accomplish this goal and even though I do read some books each year, I never seem to hit my goal of reading at least one book every other week. Well, with the time I see that I can gain using what I learned in both of those above books I KNOW I will be able to read at least 50 books in 2011 and still have time left over for those other things I want to do in addition to just reading books.
I will keep you posted on my progress and would love to (A) Hear your goals for 2011, (B) hear your plan on how to accomplish them, and (C) Celebrate with you when we both reach our goals for 2011.
It is totally up to us to make 2011 the best year ever in our lives. I'm working on my plan, how about you?
Steve

Bah! Humbug! How to have a miserable Christmas.

"Humbug" - something designed to deceive and mislead.
- nonsense or drivel.
- an attitude or spirit of pretense and deception.
- a willfully false, deceptive, or insincere statement or person.

Now I'm hoping this title will catch the attention of some, those especially who know they can contribute to the quality of Christmas, by making it a wonderful memory or an emotional disaster. After extensive research, and with credit to Bobby Scott from Perimeter School and his sources, here is my list including my own personal issues.

1. FOCUS ENTIRELY ON YOURSELF. Let your mind ruminate on what you "need", want, or just lust for, joyously focusing only on those gifts addressed to YOU, rather than your gifts to others. After all, it's just all about "what I got" anyway isn't it? If you do bother (and remember it is a pain to fight the crowd at the mall) to give a somewhat nice gift to someone else be certain to brag to everyone and remind them of just how fantastic YOU are for doing that.

2. JUDGE ALL THE GIFTS YOU RECEIVE. Evaluate everything on how much it cost, if it was better than what you gave the other person, if the giver really listened to you and understood what it was you wanted, and the total number of gifts you received compared with how many others (family members or friends) received. Make it a contest!! Just always remember that nobody but YOU can win because it is YOUR contest and YOU set the rules, which you can change if needed.

3. ENGAGE IN HALF-HEARTED RITUALS. After all haven't we sung those same Christmas songs a million times before? Visited those same friends/family members before? Attended those same parties before? Let's just do the expected things quickly and then get out as soon as possible. We can always go home and watch TV or just have a quiet drink. Let the rest of the family go to Christmas Eve Church Service without you, they always tell that same story anyway.

4. DWELL ON ALL YOUR PAST HURTS. Remember last Christmas how unappreciated you were? Stew about how mean/stupid/etc your friends, relatives, or neighbors have been and how you can never forget what they did to you! How long ago was that anyway? Hold on to that grudge, enjoy it, and wait for them to come humble themselves before you before you ever consider thinking about forgiving them. Make them suffer, hurting you, intentionally or not, was just clearly wrong.

5. REHASH OLD ARGUMENTS AND PUSH KNOWN HOT BUTTONS. This is a biggie!! Purposely or intentionally bring up those issues that you know will rile up your friends or family members. Remind them that "THEIR" favorite football team really stinks this year, that "Their" candidate lost, or that they "NEVER" do the things you request and "ALWAYS" do things to irritate you. Plus, will they ever stop giving you that "some old type of present" every single Christmas? They should KNOW you wanted that new IPAD no matter what it costs.

6. REFUSE ALL OFFERS OF HELP AND PLAY THE MARTYR CARD. Since others just can't do things the way YOU know it should be done, just do everything yourself. I mean, after all, YOU shouldn't have to ASK them to help you anyway, they should know and see what needs to be done. Besides, if nobody helps you, then you have an excuse to resent them and feel sorry for yourself. (See # 1 & # 4 above). The "JOY" of being a servant and martyr should be all yours anyway, so why share it with others. Many women understand this much more than men so we guys need to make a special effort on this one.

7. MAKE A HOLIDAY CHECKLIST AND COMPLETE IT PERFECTLY. The only way to really enjoy the holidays is to get YOUR list done on time, in the proper way, and on the planned schedule. Never compromise period! Flexibility to just sit and enjoy your family or friends is a total waste of time anyway. Unless they want to praise you or talk about how great you are why bother! Who will get all credit for getting that work done if you let them help anyway?

8. NEVER TAKE TIME FOR CHARITY WORK. Why spread any possible cheer in any direction other than towards yourself? Those homeless folks could never ever repay anything you do for them so why bother? Besides, if they would be more like you they wouldn't need the help.

9. ONLY SEND CARDS OR GIFTS TO THOSE WHO ARE IN A POSITION TO HELP YOU. If someone can't do more for you than you can for them what is the purpose anyway? Again keep #1, #2, & # 3 above in the top of your mind. If it isn't about you, who cares?

10. REMEMBER BEING MISERABLE IS EASIER THAN HAVING A JOYFUL CHRISTMAS. Why not just give in and allow your inner self to have fun and remain self-centered. After all, it's much easier and more fun than the alternative. Having a Peace filled and Joyful Christmas isn't all that it's cracked up to be anyway. Finally, remember the battles and problems you will face the day after Christmas fighting everyone else back at the mall for those left-over bargains and returning that junk others gave you!!

So have a miserable Christmas and a very unhappy Holiday season. Smiles and laughter are highly overrated anyway!!

Steve

Gone Flying

Yesterday I took a friend up for a flight and the infamous $100 hamburger. Only after we were up about 3,000 feet did he tell me that this was his FIRST flight in a small airplane. I usually try to find that out before I take someone up, believe me it does make a difference in how you do things when you have a "first timer" on board.
What I experienced yesterday was a wonderful time that I had almost forgotten myself, that thrill of breaking free of gravity and solid ground and flying like the birds do. Watching my friend taking in everything for the first time that I have started to take for granted. I was able to see thru his eyes the sights that have become so commonplace to me and experience again the thrill that started me flying years ago. Looking down on familiar places but from a totally new angle really amazes folks - seeing more and different colors from above the haze line, watching smoke rise with the wind and actually feeling that wind as it moves the airplane. All wonderful feelings that unfortunately only a small few folks get to experience in life. Many of my pilot friends have told me they long ago forgot those thrilling adventures and now just look upon flying as another method of getting somewhere fast. I hope that never happens to me - I love the flight - the trip is, to me, almost more fun than getting to the destination. In fact, sometimes when I get to my destination I will intentionally veer away just to spend a few more moments up in the sky experiencing that freedom that folks tied to the ground just don't realize.
A short 20 minute flight to the North Georgia Mountain region, then lunch with good friends, and another short flight back to Atlanta doesn't take too much time, but it certainly removes years from my life as I get to feel like a child again for a short amount of time. When I reflect and remember how great it is I am always reminded of taking a young boy up for a flight once. He was in the back seat, with headsets on his small head, just talking away but I couldn't quite hear or understand what he was saying. When I got his attention and repeated my question he told me he was just talking with his dad who had died the year before and this boy knew that he was much closer to heaven so he was having a discussion about what he missed about his dad. I had trouble finishing that flight - my eyesight seemed to develop a very wet blurry view - but believe me I did extend that flight as long as possible, for all 3 of us.
Remember to live life fully each and every day. Everyday is a gift, that is why it is called the "Present."

Changes to 2011 TCNA Tile Handbook Summary

I'm trying something new today - I am adding a complete summary article I've written about the changes to the 2011 TCNA Tile Handbook. If you are involved in the tile business this will be of interest, if not you may not want to spend the time reading the following 4 pages of information.

Changes to the 2011 TCNA Handbook
The 2011 TCNA Handbook will be over triple the size of the current 2010 handbook with the addition of many new methods and huge improvements in usability over the current book. Below I will outline some of the changes and what they mean to USG and our customers.

• Addition of stone installation methods
o Clarify and make it obvious that stone tile is different from ceramic tile
o Highlight selection and installation considerations and precautions for marble and stone tiles.
o Substrate preparation, or flattening, is required if substrate doesn’t meet level tolerances. Self-leveling methods may be a good choice.
o Limitations on stone tile including post-tensioned concrete, L/720 deflection requirements, maximum substrate variation 1/8” in 10’, epoxy setting materials required for some stone installations.
o New backer board requirements for stone installations – two layer structural wood substrate floors required under backer board installation
o ONLY CBU backer boards are recommended under stone installations
o There will be some duplication of methods but with different requirements for stone versus ceramic tile installations.
• New concrete substrate installation methods with different recommendations for tiling on-ground versus above-ground concrete slabs.
• New optional Membranes sections added into almost all tile installation methods
o Discussion of better setting materials requirements for membrane use
o Discussion of reduced service ratings on installations with membranes
o Discussion of differences of variability of suitability with membranes
• Editorial Overhaul of entire handbook
o Bullets and language standardized
o Need for cross references eliminated by adding more info into methods
o Membrane options called out to add clarity to methods
• Floor Assembly Weights section added to allow design professionals to better calculate the dead load ratings. Mortar beds and all types of backer board unit’s weights given.
• New Improved Ceramic Tile Selection Guide
o Summary of ANSI A137.1 requirements for tile
o Defines the 5 different types of ceramic tile and the minimum performance each must meet
o Discusses breaking strength and bond strength requirements.
• New Glass Tile selection and installation guide
o Only CBU Backer boards recommended under glass tile installations
o Setting materials take better mortars and longer to cure
o Critical need for flat substrate – self-leveling beds may be needed
o Glass tile bonding issues to membranes discussions
o 70 new glass tile installation methods
o Discussion of critical movement joint requirements for the entire assembly with glass tile being used.
• New Environmental Classifications applied to all methods. Guidance provided on both residential and commercial differences in Dry, Limited water, Wet, Steam, High Temperature, and Exterior assemblies.
o Interior walls now rated dry or limited moisture exposure.
o If materials used in Wed areas then details show wall-to-floor transition
o Clarifies what type of a membrane is needed for each application.
• New Wet area Guidelines includes differences between intermittent-wet versus saturated wet areas and how to incorporate waterproofing to contain and evacuate water and protect the building materials behind and below installation.
o Spells out important requirements for:
o Drain and waterproofing sloped to that drain
o Have open/protected weep holes
o Use of a vapor retarder behind the backer board
o Wrapping curb assembly completely with membrane
o Keeping the backer board out of the mortar bed
• New substrate flatness requirements for ceramic tile due to larger sized tiles
o Tiles with all edges shorter than 15” maximum allowable variation is ¼” in ‘ from the required plane and no more than 1/16” variation in 12” from any high points in the surface.
o Tiles with at least one edge 15” or longer in length maximum allowable variation is 1/8” in 10’ with no more than 1/16” in 24” from the high points.
• New ISO references for Grout and Mortar Specifications.
o Explanatory section for determining minimum performance.
o Explanatory section for key to ISO nomenclature and relationships to ANSI and ASTM requirements. Both ISO and ANSI specifications are provided.
o ISO testing/performance requirements listing. Different properties are measured and different tests are used to measure the properties.
• New options for membranes, mortars, grouts, and other materials with multiple options MUST BE CLEARLY SPECIFIED IN WRITING by the design professional or if not specifically indicated optional materials ARE NOT INCLUDED and choice defaults to minimum performance specification.
• Updated Tile is the Natural Choice section
o The Green side of tile
o LEED and other Green Building Rating Systems explanations
o Floor covering cost comparison
o Life Cycle cost data comparisons
o New Why Select Ceramic Tile section
• New “Dry” Wall method listing tub surrounds without a shower head
o Allows different backer board units including Glass Mat Water Resistant backer board units and standard drywall products.
• New Pool installation method
• New “soft materials” caution for ceramic tile and stone products subjected to lower breaking strengths
• New Expansion joint explanations and drawings including joints at vertical surfaces.
• New Grout guide discussing color consistency of cementitious grouts as well as epoxy emulsion grouts, and premixed Polymer Resin Grouts.
• New Steam Shower assembly revisions including CBU backings use.

As you can see this will be quite an extensive amount of change for the tile installers to absorb so please be prepared when the book is released to update your flash drive with the new information and have new printed copies to show your distributors and installers. This will require a huge educational effort on everyone in the supply side of the tile industry to insure that the message of these new changes get out into daily use to cut down on the failure rate of installed products that are not being done properly and leading to premature failures.

Thinking "outside" the box? Why not try inside?

I love life. If you know me at all you know that for certain. I get passionate about things and sometimes very impatient because of my passion to accomplish something. This week a friend of mine saw me working on a problem and said something to me that absolutely stopped me in my tracks - stunned me, if you will. He asked me why I was struggling so much with this and I, in my own "knowing" way started to explain to him (the unlearned, or so I thought) how all my books and acquired knowledge leads me to progressive thinking - mostly "outside" of the box. My friend listened politely to me and smiled all the time.

Now allow me to explain here that I became a convert to thinking outside the box many years ago and that skill, which I found difficult to acquire and master, has served me well for a very long time and helped me solve many issues. When I was finished talking my friend, still smiling, reminded me that looking inside the box is the best starting position and usually leads to a better, faster answer. But, as they say, here is the rest of the story. I am so very familiar and comfortable with looking outside the box for my solutions I sometimes fail to examine what is right in front of me, INSIDE the box which solves the situation easily AND better than spending all that time trying to reinvent my wheel.

I've had that same issue with the Ipad computer. I see that as a tool to looking outside my box and make huge progress, but will it actually do that for me? When I look inside my box I notice that what the Ipad does very well, I do very little of - and what I really want a small computer tool like that to do the Ipad doesn't do that so well. In fact, due to some of our company computer security issues the Ipad won't work at all as I need it to do. When I backtracked my steps and looked around inside my box I discovered that the real issues I wanted and needed to have this tool for were best served by a Netbook Windows based smaller (size wise not power wise)computer. Once I got my "head trash" cleared out then the Acer Computer seemed the answer.

But wait, was I now rushing to a decision without considering other options? I did some research and asked several users opinions and discovered that for the same size, money, and efforts I could get a MSI (unheard of brand to me) and not only EXCEED my needs but do it faster, better, cheaper, and easier than any of the other choices. So now I have a Netbook, small size, computer that for exceeds what I really need to do but costs much less (to my budget) than the Apple Ipad. I'm still struggling that I'm not "cool" and don't have that "out of the box" tool that everyone else is raving about - the Ipad, but it's ok, see this blog is actually typed on the full sized keyboard of the MSI Netbook and I can see the full width of the page, neither of which would have happened if I solved my situation outside of the box.

Now I'm wondering how many other things I've messed up due to my thinking outside the box instead of taking the tried and true route to examine all situations unemotionally and clearly by starting INSIDE the situation and working towards the outside as the need arises.

What is your take on this?

Giving or Receiving?

I spent the last entire week at Total Solutions Plus meetings which is a first time concept for the ceramic tile and stone world - 3 different industry associations, Tile Council of North America, National Tile Contractors Association and Ceramic Tile Distributors Association, all meeting together at the same time in the same location.

What became clear during this week were several items on this first time adventure: (A) We all liked the concept of getting everyone together in one group, (B) schedule overlaps need to be looked at and re-evaluated, (C) we needed more "social networking" time so everyone can visit and get maximum benefits of being together.

What I gained from that entire week of meetings cannot be explained in the small space of this blog, but I did make a very specific effort to gain information from every single group meeting or conversation that I had during that time. In evaluating the experience I started to reflect on how much information I "normally" miss by wanting to "give" my knowledge to folks I talk with as opposed to staying quiet and "receiving" information from them. I just finished a book about that subject and made a very difficult decision for me by attempting to listen at least twice as much as I spoke, and by "Fully listening" as opposed to my usual attitude of listening just to develop my answer or come back to the statement. Man that was hard for me.

I now wonder, as I evaluate this experiment just how much valuable information I've missed during my lifetime by not listening fully but rather just giving information and preparing to give more information while I had to endure what the other person had to say.

Life is funny isn't it? By the time you gain this valuable skill many of us are almost past our prime to utilize it fully. That being said, it is never too late to change old habits and learn new skills and this listening fully stuff has some merit to it.

The next time we have an opportunity for a telephone conversation, or a face-to-face talk, please call me on this shortcoming, if I start to backslide, so that I can continue to grow as I did last week. As a great friend of mine used to say: "The only difference between a rut and a grave is the length and depth." Listen your way to life today and let me know your thoughts on this subject.
Steve