Looking for the Best Pizza in San Diego
March 29, 2011 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Looking for the Best Pizza in San Diego
Pizza is very personal! I like a traditional Italian pizza — thin crispy crust lightly sprinkled with traditional toppings. I love meat and cheese but I also like the simplicity of the Margherita too. I had the good fortune of once again speaking at the Pizza Expo in Las Vegas in March. It is the biggest pizza show in the country. One of my favorite parts is walking the exhibit floor seeing and tasting all the latest and greatest products. This year the best pizza by far was at the Roma booth (they’re distributors) and featured their new Bacio™ cheese. I would never order a plain cheese pizza but this was off the charts! 
Bacio literally means kiss in Italian and they created a blend of mozzarella with a “Kiss of Buffalo Milk™.” The consistency and flavor made it one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten. So far Sammy’s is my local favorite. Let me know who you think has the best pizza. And for sure if you are a retailer who is using the new Bacio™ cheese I need another fix!
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #347: Imagination
March 29, 2011 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #347: Imagination
Imagination – mental creative ability.
Would you say that you have a vivid imagination? Do you spend time dreaming? How would you rate your mental creative ability?
This week’s WOW attention getter for me is the San Diego Tribune article written by John Wilkens and titled, “FOR MOM, PLAYTIME IS PRIME TIME: San Diegan’s approach counters stringent Tiger Mother mentality.” He writes, “Tammy Greenwood is nearing the end of what she calls ‘A Year of Living Playfully.’ She set a goal of spending an hour every day doing nothing but playing with her daughters, ages 9 and 7 — unstructured play, their choice.”
Mikaela, Tammy & Esmee
Tammy has fond memories of her entire childhood. Every hour of every day wasn’t scheduled with school and soccer and scouting. She had time for dreaming. “I lived inside my imagination for much of my youth,” she said. “It is hard work playing every day. Some days were failures. But overall it has been good for the kids and me. It just forced me to slow down and think about the time we were spending together, to pay attention. Anything that helps me be a better parent is good. ”
Tammy understands how competitive childhood is these days and that parents need to be goal-oriented and make sure their kids are getting ahead. But what if they are pushed to do something they don’t like? “What if they’re not happy? Teaching them to find what it is they love and how to make that work for them the rest of their lives — isn’t that what parenting is about? Figure out what they love so they will grow up to be happy adults.”
Amen to Tammy! When you do what you LOVE it never feels like “work.” This week’s focus is mental creativity. I challenge you to spend an hour a day playing. Could you do that? How would it feel to give your full attention to someone else? Or better yet, yourself? How could you be a better parent, grand-parent, spouse or boss?
Reader Responses
“Good stuff. Had me right to the end. I hate the word, “Boss.” Leader, supervisor, manager…….never the “Boss.” U think? Just a personal thing for me Susan. I’ve always thought, “Boss” gives such a negative connotation. Employees here at the Club don’t work for me, they work “WITH” me, we have different job descriptions and one aspect of the job may be to supervise and lead others. Have a great day!” – Kevin
“I love it Sooz! I am starting today!! I already spend time redesigning every interior room I find myself in — It is a fun mental game I play.” – Katie
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #346: Dignity
March 22, 2011 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #346: Dignity
Dignity – poise and self-respect.
Did you find the catastrophe that struck Japan last week beyond belief? Not only did they have a 9.0 earthquake, then a tsunami, and then potential multiple nuclear meltdowns. Can you even fathom what it would be like to experience that?
The LA Times ran a story titled, “A family odyssey through calamity” that featured a 55 year old doctor by the name of Kazuhisa Takeuchi. When the shaking had ended everything in his office was on the floor, but he was unharmed. He ran to check on his patients and they were okay too. He told himself, “We are so lucky.”
The article written by Barbara Demick goes on to read, “To describe the terrible cascade of disasters that began to hit Japan at 2:46 p.m. March 11, the Japanese have adopted a term they coined for the Sept. 11 attacks: douji tahatsu tero, which literally means ‘multiple simultaneous terrors.’
Takeuchi’s father and his wife’s mother and father were all elderly and hospitalized. All three perished within four days of the catastrophe. Trying to make philosophical sense of what happened he said, “That they should die under almost the same circumstances, I think that was not a coincidence. I think maybe in this crisis, the old people understood that the dying would have to die and the living would have to live.”
“We have to work through our fears.” Contemplating what his father might have advised him if he were alive Takeuchi said, “Have dignity. Never give up. Even in the face of douji tahatsu tero.”
This week has me focusing once again on how fortunate I am at this moment. Would you be able to move forward in the face of such devastation? Would you be able to have a philosophical sense of what happened? Would you have dignity and never give up?
Reader Responses
“After learning what had happened in Japan, and then seeing the photos of the devastation, I wondered about where I would begin to pick up my life. Where would I start? I don’t know if the words poise and dignity would come to my mind in such a situation. I think the first word that would come to my mind would be survive. I would certainly first make sure that any and all family members were ok. Then I would look for a place for my family to stay until we knew what would happen next. I would be concerned or worried about any possessions that were lost. All I would want to know is that everyone survived. In those situations, I think our priorities are life, health, shelter and food. Probably in that order. When we had a fire in our home when I was 10 years old, we were scattered as a family during Christmas of 1968. It took a couple of months to get our house back together, but early in the new year we were back in our home. Fortunately, my folks had good insurance. That was a start. We did get our family back in one piece, but it was because we kept our priorities in place. During that time I never saw my parents panic. We had good friends who helped us through and we all came out on the other end in good shape. They did what they had to under tough circumstances. There were six of us kids at that time. I only hope that I can exhibit that kind of quiet dignity and poise in the event something happens to me. The people in Japan are amazing. How they have come together as a nation is inspiring. I remember how the people of New York City did so during 911. Sometimes it is catastrophes that bring out the greatness in all of us. Thank you, Susan. Great word. Great reminder.” – “Warrior” Joe
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #345: SerenDestiny™
March 15, 2011 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #345: SerenDestiny™
SerenDestiny™ – leading the life you’re meant to live.
Do you feel fulfilled on a daily basis? Is your work and home life everything you want it to be? Do you feel like “something is missing” in your life?
Sam Horn, a fellow speaker and writing coach/mentor, has written a number of books. Her latest is titled, “SerenDestiny™.” Sam says,
POP! New Paperback Cover
“Leading the life we’re born to live is no accident (serendipity); it’s a result of acting in alignment with our values and vision so we meet our best future halfway.”
“No one wants to go out mid-sentence.” – Johnny Depp
“This quote is featured in the chapter “Focus on Your 5%” of SerenDestiny™ that addresses the importance of acting on what’s important to us now, rather than assuming an automatic tomorrow and expecting it’ll be there waiting for us when we’re ready.”
“As Frank Sinatra said, “You better live every day like it’s your last, because one day you’re gonna be right.” This chapter isn’t meant to be morbid – it’s meant to remind us that procrastinating on our priorities is a prescription for regrets. Doing ONE thing we really care about can help us create a life that feels right, right now.”
This week’s focus is SerenDestiny™. Is your personal life in alignment with your values and vision? Does your work life leave you feeling fulfilled? Do you feel your life has a sense of purpose and meaning? Are you leading the life you’re meant to live?
Copyright 2011 Sam Horn, The Intrigue Expert, author of POP! and Tongue Fu!®
All rights reserved
Reader Responses
“I like the word SERENDESTINY. Ours can be a serendipitous destiny if we keep our mind-set positive and looking forward. Continuing to look backward or not be decisive in our day-to-day living is what leads to missed opportunities and then regrets. Time is always of the essence, so let’s take advantage of the now so there are no regrets. I have mentioned in previous posts how I make sure that I spend time with my wife and daughters. Having that stability at home makes it easier for me to concentrate on work activities that I need to stay on top of every week. But work stays at work. I don’t bring anything that happens at work into my home environment. When I am home, that is my complete focus. As a result, I have become a centered person with priorities in the right places. I have a lot for which to be grateful every single day, and I thank the Lord for it. Let’s live for today and take care of things ONE AT A TIME. Hard to believe, but it does all get done. Have a great St. Patrick’s Day. The Madness begins officially tomorrow.” – “Warrior” Joe
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #344: Adversity
March 8, 2011 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #344: Adversity
Adversity – a condition marked by misfortune, calamity or distress.
When was the last time you experienced misfortune or distress in your life? Were you able to deal with it and move on quickly? Do you believe that adversity can actually be a good thing for you?
An NYT News Service Article written by Benedict Carey titled, “MOOD IMPROVES WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH: Study suggests facing some adversity may boost a person’s resilience” states, “It is clear that with time, most people can and do psychologically recover from even devastating losses; but reactions to the same blow vary widely, and no one can reliably predict who will move on quickly and who will lapse into longer-term despair.”
“Mental toughness is something like the physical strength: It cannot develop without exercise, and it breaks down when overworked. The study showed that too many stressful events close together are not good, while having only a few allows you to learn something.”
“The lifetime resilience study suggests that the pain, the self-doubt, the disorientation and the anger that swarm the consciousness in the wake of a job loss, a foreclosure, or a divorce can have some upside, even though it’s not remotely visible at the time.”
“Perhaps the one most fundamental thing you learn in living through an experience like this is that you can come out the other end of almost anything. You say, ‘Well, it may have crushed me, but I survived.’”
This week focus on adversity. One of my most favorite lines is, “This to shall pass.” Has adversity made you more resilient? Have you survived a job loss, foreclosure, or a divorce? Have negative events in your life taught you how to cope better?
Reader Responses
“It is the rare person who has not dealt with adversity in one form or another in this life. For those who have not endured some kind of adversity, that just means they really have not lived. I think Dolly Parton put it best when she said, “You can’t have the rainbow unless you’ve had the rain.” A major part of growing and learning in life involves taking chances. Many times in life people who have been burned once or twice vow to never try again. Thus, not allowing themselves to love or grow or expand their career opportunities. Those who do take the chance of failure and adversity are the ones who eventually succeed. But, getting over adversity is a lot easier said than done. We just don’t move on easily after disappointments in life: job loss, divorce, loss of loved ones. There is a period of time people need to get over those life-changing moments. And it is different for everyone. In those moments it is very difficult to see the forest for the trees because we are in the moment of adversity, suffering in our own way. We tend to forget that we are not the only person who has gone through these things. Everyone does. It is just that the experience is different for everyone because of our personas. I’m reminded of a line in Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.” The duo sings, “After changes upon changes we are more or less the same. After changes we are more or less the same.” So, none of us is immune to the slings and arrows of adversity. It is how we react or not, and whether we believe there is a reason for the problem or difficulty and what we will look like when we come out on the other side. It can be painful, but we need it to grow and to live. Buzz Williams, who is the basketball coach of my alma mater, Marquette University, likes to tell his team that when the going gets tough the team’s character is revealed. How true. Great word, Susan. Keep up the great work” – “Warrior” Joe