The Giving Transformation

[Craig Ballantyne]

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

***
I've bumped up my Thank You Cards output to 2 per day, but that still doesn't fully address today's quote. It's the time, energy, love, advice, and mentoring that we give of ourselves that matters the most.

Today I have to give a lot to my writing, but my goal is to give some advice to a stranger in the gym this morning.

It's a delicate situation, because you don't want to be rude, but if I see someone I can help, I will.

Should be an interesting experiment...

[Kevinvalluzzi]

I'd love to hear how this goes Craig. Please let us know!

[Craig Ballantyne]

Giving it all to work today.

Big deadlines for a MASSIVE project.

My Magnum Opus.

More details soon.

So because of that...

Work got in the way this morning, so there was no caffeine and no squat workout. Just some bodyweight exercises and yoga, as well as a Peppermint Tea in place of the caffeine.

It's a very busy day and I can't afford to be feeling any more anxious than I already am!

But this makes 3 days CASS-Free in a row. (No caffeine, alcohol, sweeteners, or soda.)

Heading to Miami tonight.

[Craig Ballantyne]

Giving opportunity to a lot of people in the Mastermind today.

As Kevin Spacey said,

"Send the elevator back down."

(Meaning, once you get to the top, help others at ground level get up.)

[LauraLyn]

If you happen to get another bottle of wine...I will gladly take it for you. Bring it to Denver in June. I too have travel anxiety. Only have flown in a plane once. But I will be there. Fun reading your attitude change. Thanks for the encouragement. I will try to get on here more.. Still figuring out how to post and reply??!! How can I have a picture tho....I feel left out.

Laura Lyn, CTT

[Craig Ballantyne]

Monday was an interesting day. It was CASS-Free, but dang was I tired. I had two naps. Catching up on sleep from last week, I guess. There was no workout, just stretching and walking around the nice little town of Delray beach. Good times!

I had an early dinner and then met up with my mentor, Mark Ford. Mark likes an afterwork cocktail and cigar, and he had a well stocked liquor cabinet and some snacks out...but I stuck to my plan and just had water. I'm on a streak of no alcohol in 2016, and didn't want to break it last night.

Here's a picture of my mentor, Mark Ford, opening his copy of The Perfect Day Formula last night in Delray Beach. One of Mark's biggest lessons to me was "Go to bed and get up at the same time, 7 days per week." It's the best energy booster tip I've ever been given. It makes a huge difference in your alertness at work on Monday mornings...and during the week when you might otherwise have energy slumps. Take his advice...and you'll have Perfect Days.

[Craig Ballantyne]

Giving extra gratitude today...here's why:

A start reminder to be grateful for the little things in life...and to always be early! My car to the airport was to pick me up at 12:30pm in Delray...and I was early...I saw it waiting, but jotted off a few more emails.

Fifteen minutes into the trip, we became stuck in a traffic jam due to a serious accident. We waited an hour...and then traffic freed up. Seconds later we drove past a demolished Corvette that had wedged itself under the rear-end of a transport truck...a stark reminder of how life can change in an instant.

I ended up making it to the airport with 30 minutes to spare...that's the great thing about being early.

And I'm grateful for my safe trip, smooth flight, and getting back to the office in DVR. Be extra grateful tonight.

[Craig Ballantyne]

Today in Denver I bought a Mountain Dew for a street person.

Why?

Because he said, "Hey dude, spare some change for a soda...or can you buy me one?" as I went into Walgreens.

I figured, hey, why not.

But then I panicked and wondered, "Uh-oh, what kind of soda does he want? What if he doesn't like the kind I picked?"

So I gambled and went with a Mountain Dew.

I know I like it.

And then after buying 4 bags of walnuts (for my breakfast bowls), I went back outside and said, "Here, I hope you like Mountain Dew."

He did.

"Hope you have a great day," he said.

Hurray for giving!

LOL. What a stupid - yet true - story.

[Mike Whitfield]

Originally Posted by Craig Ballantyne

Today in Denver I bought a Mountain Dew for a street person.

Why?

Because he said, "Hey dude, spare some change for a soda...or can you buy me one?" as I went into Walgreens.

I figured, hey, why not.

But then I panicked and wondered, "Uh-oh, what kind of soda does he want? What if he doesn't like the kind I picked?"

So I gambled and went with a Mountain Dew.

I know I like it.

And then after buying 4 bags of walnuts (for my breakfast bowls), I went back outside and said, "Here, I hope you like Mountain Dew."

He did.

"Hope you have a great day," he said.

Hurray for giving!

LOL. What a stupid - yet true - story.

As "simple" as this is, it made my day. Thanks for sharing Craig!

[Craig Ballantyne]

And you're positivity made mine, thanks Mikey!

Smilin' for those panthers, too.