Ellis Benus

Create the Ultimate Entertainment Grab Bag

Ellis Benus — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:49:48 +0000

My wife and I went to a friend’s house one night and we were thinking about some fun stuff to do. Normally I always keep a deck or two of cards and an Ultimate Frisbee in my vehicle no matter where I go. But you can do a lot better by creating your own Entertainment Grab Bag.

From 2 - 20 People can Play

The following is a short list of activities which could occupy anywhere from 2 to 20 people. You never know how many are going to show up, so plan ahead.

Everything Fits in one quick to Grab Bag

Everything mentioned will fit into one regular sized bag. Whether it’s a back pack, cloth sack, or duffel bag is up to you. I prefer a duffel bag or back pack. You can zip everything up, and they are easy to carry. Just leave everything in your bag and whenever you leave the house, throw it in the trunk or back seat. You’ll always be ready for a good time.

The List:

Ultimate Frisbee ($10.00 at Wal Mart)

Anybody can throw a frisbee, and if you have enough people you can play a real game of Ultimate Frisbee! My favorite sport.

2 - 4 decks of regular playing cards ($5.00 anywhere)

There is almost no end to what can be done with cards. Google the rules to any card game you want to play, there are thousands! Or have everyone help build a huge card castle!

Uno ($10 at Wal Mart)

Come on! Who doesn’t like Uno?

Twister ($20 at Wal Mart)

Take it out of the box, roll up the board and put it in your own bag.

Scene It DVD Game ($30 - $50)

You can buy any of the Scene Its: Friends, Disney, Nickelodeon, etc… Again, remove the board, pieces and cards from the box. Put the pieces and cards in a zip lock bag, or small box, and put them in your Entertainment Grab Bag.

6x Washers ($3 at hardware store)

Play the regular game of washers without having to lug around the huge wooden boxes. Just use a can or Tupperware from the house you’re visiting, and put it in the middle of any square you can make. Use duct tape, or a cookie sheet. You can even chalk one on concrete, or spray paint one on the grass!

5 or 10 Good Movies ($10-$20 per DVD)

You might want to rotate this selection. It’s always a good idea to keep old favorites around, but keep some new-releases handy too. To save space and organize, get a small CD wallet and put your DVD’s in here instead of lugging around the jewel cases.

Any Other games that can be used for multiple people.

Be creative. Just think about what will easily fit in your grab bag, and go from there. If you start having to carry extra stuff, or even more than one bag, it will quickly become too much to manage. Just one bag will give you plenty to do.

A Little Over $100 = Big Fun

Add in new games as you think of them. Print off a few new card game rules and carry with you. Change the movies you carry. Most importantly, ALWAYS keep your Ultimate Entertainment Grab Bag with you and enjoy the fun!

W.H.Y. it’s S.M.A.R.T. to Set Goals

Ellis Benus — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:01:43 +0000

Everyone has heard of SMART Goals…

SMART goals are:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistically High
Time Sensitive

Specific: Wanting to lose weight is not a goal. Wanting to lose 15 pounds is a goal. Setting a goal which is not specific immediately dooms you to failure.

Measurable: “What gets measured gets managed.” Dr. Peter Drucker. Losing 15 pounds is easily measured. Earning $10,000 more than last year is easily measured. If you pick a goal which cannot be measured, you will not know whether you achieved it or not. More importantly, if you do not measure your goal, you will not achieve it!

Attainable: Do you only weight 100 pounds? Then losing 15 is not attainable, unless a second goal is to be unhealthy. Picking impossible goals will paralyze you and instill unconquerable fear. Worse, you are setting yourself up to fail.

Realistically High: You will know a goal is attainable, but realistically high, if you must change in order to achieve it. Setting goals that you will achieve anyway will not give you an sense of accomplishment. If you will lose 15 pounds or earn $10,000 more by continuing to do what you already are, they are not good goals. Push yourself, but don’t push yourself over.

Time Sensitive: Losing 15 pounds is a good goal. Losing 15 pounds in 4 weeks is a better goal. Set times to your goals. Never leave them open ended. Know what you must do every day to achieve the goal by the time chosen.

Look at W, H and Y in Goals…

WHY specifies a goal should be:

Written
Harmonious
Yours

Written: Write it down! Having your goals on paper forces you to look at them every day. Post them at your desk, on your wall, or on the front/garage door.

Harmonious: Wanting to be debt free before the end of the year, and wanting to purchase a new car are not harmonious goals. Any leadership book will talk about alignment. Your goals must also be in alignment with one another. Make every goal you set work together. This will also provide symmetry guaranteeing all your goals will be met.

Yours: This is the most important. If your spouse wants you to earn $10,000 more this year or lose 15 pounds you are far less likely to do it. Pick goals that you really want to ensure success. You have to want it!

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Want someone to bounce ideas off of?
Want someone to ask about your goals?
Leave a comment, or email me eb at ellisbenus.com

Uber Geek! Control Your World with Arduino

Ellis Benus — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:31:00 +0000

This is only for Uber Geeks wanting to use their computers for much more than just spreadsheets and internet browsing.

Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for … anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.

Arduino can sense the environment by receiving input from a variety of sensors and can affect its surroundings by controlling lights, motors, and other actuators.

This phenomenal little device is going on my wanted list immediately. A computer has always merely sat in it’s own space and could do very interesting stuff displaying results on it’s monitor.

NOW! Your computer can actually sense the world around it then interact with nearly any object in meat space. We are a far cry away from a robot making breakfast and taking out the trash, but this was too cool to pass up posting.

What can you do?

Sensor to determine if you’ve been sitting too long - (not only mac’s) You probably have if you’re willing to create this!
Glowing Cube Gmail notifier

Read Arduino’s Getting Started Guide and start playing!

Modernized Aesop Ant and Grasshopper Story

Ellis Benus — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:00:03 +0000

I just received this as a forward, and actually read it.

What I want to know, is how can everyone read this and comment on how ridiculous this story is, when there is so much truth presented here?!

This is more of a rant post, but please comment with your opinions.

Have you seen Idiocracy? In it you glimpse our future, and this story foretells our doom!

Old Version:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool so he laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed but the grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

Moral of the Story: Work hard and be responsible for yourself!

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Modern Version:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool so he laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green.’

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house where the news stations film his group singing, ‘We shall overcome.’ Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper’s sake. Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid claim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share. Hillary and Barack go on national television agreeing that the plight of the grasshopper is the fault of George Bush.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Directive, retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, since he has not enough to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Obama gets his old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients. The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant’s food while the government-provided house the grasshopper occupies (formerly the ant’s house) crumbles because the grasshopper doesn’t maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow.

Shortly thereafter the grasshopper is found dead in a drug-related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

Moral of the Story: …

Maintain your Free Commute at BicycleTutor.com

Ellis Benus — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:20:44 +0000

Since May 19th, my first day commuting to work via bicycle, I have put almost 300 miles on my bike.

In the article about my pedal-power commute you read that a mere $350 was invested in the bicycle. Maintaining this free ride is of prime importance. Luckly, for the bicycle repair do-it-yourselfer Alex Ramon launched his website BicycleTutor.com.

This list of tutorials is going to expand, and on Alex does take Requests, but here are 33 of the tutorials offered at BicycleTutor.com right now. Enjoy!

If you too are currently commuting by bicycle, please let me know in the comments.

7 Questions to Advance You and your Business - Be Remarkable

Ellis Benus — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:20:57 +0000

Is that your final question? It better not be! While the seven questions we have covered are all very important, if you do not keep asking questions and learning you will never advance. While learning may have been addressed in the fourth question, ultimately it’s the first question.

Keep learning… If you have followed along through all seven questions we’ve asked to further ourselves individually and our businesses then you have accomplished a great deal. However, my hope is that these seven will spur thousands of new questions in your life.

Enough, on with the show! Let’s look at how we can be remarkable.

How can this be remarkable?

Being remarkable can mean everything from a person sacrificing their life to save others or a company that starts operating environmentally friendly despite lost profits. The question is, how can you or your business be made remarkable? You ask the question, society will measure you.

Being remarkable distances you from competitors. Whether your competitor is another business in the same industry, or the person in a nearby cubicle. Operating in a remarkable way will set you above the rest in the minds of everyone. The company who decides to “go green” despite it hurting their profitability will shine to potential customers. Thus, whenever someone is ready to purchase the widget the newly green company sells they will be more likely to purchase from them instead of their non-green competitor.

If nobody knows about it, it is still remarkable. In the example of the company that started being friends of the environment, even if no one knows they are doing this, it is still remarkable. However, it’s vital that this be leveraged as an advantage and shared with the world. The lesson: Do the remarkable, then share, but don’t brag.

Why strive to be remarkable? It will take extra effort to be remarkable, but those that attain such a high status are guaranteed success. Consumers and employers will marvel at your worth and come looking for you. The time and energy it takes to be remarkable is no different than a farmer planting his fields. He will reap a crop, and you will reap the rewards of your labor.

Being remarkable will not be enough. Just like the previous six questions we’ve looked at together, figuring out what will make you remarkable, and then doing it is not enough. Bettering yourself and your business is going to be a continual process. A company that has gone green, will soon be faced with other companies joining the green bandwagon. Then being green will no longer be remarkable, but commonplace and expected.

You’re NOT Finished… Now that you have gone through all Seven Questions to Advance Yourself and Your Business, you have to keep on going. Continually ask yourself these questions. Setup a 6 month plan to go back, re-read these articles, or just write down the 7 questions and ask them again. It might dishearten you, but your work will never be done. Congratulations on completing this. Thank You for reading. Now get back to work! Just Kidding…

Just Be Remarkable!

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7 Questions to Advance You and your Business - Be Simple

Ellis Benus — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:53:02 +0000

???[It is] much easier to conceive than to carry through, to abandon than to complete.???
- Carolyn G. Heilbrun So, congratulations on almost finishing all seven questions! Pat yourself on the back, because only one question remains after today.

Self evaluation can be exhausting. It feels like it never ends. You can never stop looking closely at yourself and improving. But it is necessary, and completely worthwhile. In respect of today’s question, let’s dive right in.

How can it be simplified?

Keep It Simple, Stupid, or KISS, has been permeating every business since Grandma first told it to her little grand baby. Unfortunately, KISS has been merely a banner buzzword and few businesses, even fewer individuals, actually pursue this standard of simplicity.

Simple does not mean easy. The reason so few actively pursue simplicity is because being simple, is not easy. Trimming the fat from processes, procedures, activities and organizations is a daunting task, and few are up to the challenge. Those who will strive to be simple will see wonderful returns immediately.

Simple should mean better. “The best machine has the fewest moving parts.” Taking the time to simplify your personal life and business will make both better. Look around:

What do you see that could be eliminated?
Do you have unnecessary clutter on your desk?
Is there an extra step you take every day that could be skipped?
Was there a phone call you did not need to make?
Did you write an email that could have been avoided?

Think about where time goes in a day.

What is wasting your time?
What is your time worth in dollars?
What could you pay someone else to do for you?
Could a Virtual Assistant help you with this?
Do you already have an employee or subordinate that might be able to handle this

task?

Do not delegate a task that should be eliminated. If you are receiving too many junk and fluff emails, then eliminate the problem. Do not have someone read your email. This will likely be the most difficult evaluation you do of all seven questions; however, it can easily be the most profitable.

Time management is the enemy of Simple. As stated above, delegating tasks that should be eliminated only wastes someone else’s time. You doing more in the same 8 hour day is not the goal here. Doing less and accomplishing more in the shortest time possible is the goal.

Time is more precious that Gold Time is the most valuable commodity you have. Value it as you would any treasure. My brother-in-law recently asked if I could make more money working an 8 - 5 job considering my portfolio and skills. My answer was unquestionably yes. But money is not as valuable as my time. Money can be spent and earned back. The time you lose every day will never be regained. Whatever you do with that time is up to you.

Keep It Simple Stupid Once you have whittled down every day to the barest essentials, do not allow complications to be created again. Now that your 8 hour work day can be completed in 4 hours, do not fill the extra four hours you gained with unnecessary stuff. Parkinson’s law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” You will constantly battle the demons of complication. Do not give up the time you have gained. Keep It Simple.

Figure out what you can eliminate, and Keep it Simple Stupid!

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Be a Kid Again by Building LEGO’s

Ellis Benus — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:15:14 +0000

Lifehacker.com is simply the coolest blog on the planet. They are still children at heart like I am, and they still want to play with LEGO’s. The even shared the new LEGO Digital Designer!

Go download it and start building right now!

7 Questions to Advance You and your Business - What is Enough

Ellis Benus — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:28:37 +0000

Only two questions to go after today. We have passed the midway point, and are on the down hill ride. If you do not remember the previous four we have already addressed, they were, What is Broken?, What is Missing?, What Value can I Add? and What can I Learn?

We are switching gears today to look farther into the future. You have now evaluated everything you need to fix, everything you need to add, and everything you want to learn. Thinking about advancing yourself personally and your business has been on your mind constantly. Now, you need to start thinking about the final goal.

What would be enough?

You are still working on fixing all the problems, filling in the missing pieces, adding value to become more competitive, and gaining the knowledge to propel yourself, and your business, forward.

Stop thinking about everything, and focus on the very end. After all the problems are fixed and the holes are plugged, what are you going to do? It’s true that you will constantly have to better yourself and further your business, but you must ask yourself before you continue, what will be enough?

Think about your goals. As the business owner it is your job to think very long term. Here we are looking at when you will be content. Personally, I will be content when my web business is earning $3,000 per month. This does not sound like a lot of money to most people, but it’s all I need to do what I want to do.

How much do you need? What monthly income will it take for you to be fulfilled? If you are thinking no amount of money will be enough, then you need to stop and evaluate some things. Of course you have a budget laid out, right?, and you know how much your expenses are. How much do you need to have saved to retire when you want? Do you have children to put through college? Are you looking to get married, or possibly add children to your marriage? Or perhaps what will be enough for you is not a monetary total.

Enough of the intangible. You need to define success for yourself. If you allow the world to define it for you, then you will be forced to live up to their expectations, and only you will live with the results. I will feel successful when I no longer have to keep a W2 job working 8 - 5 for someone else. What about you? When will you feel successful? When you have more time for your children and spouse? When you can take off to travel the world for a month? When you can purchase that shiny new car?

Knowing when it is enough gives you a long term goal. Right now you are engrossed in running your business, or being the best employee possible and trying to keep your head above water in the personal realm. Look up from the immediate, and see the end of the road. Long term, attainable but lofty goals are your key to fulfillment and success. Having these goals which cannot be conquered in 3 to 6 months is very important. You must be both an Olympic sprinter and a cross country runner. Keep the short term goals to motive you right now, and keep the feeling of accomplishment as you attain them. But make sure you set the long term goals and keep your head up to ensure you attain what few others ever can.

Define success for yourself. I cannot stress enough how important it is to define success for yourself. That is why it’s being repeated. You must know what success means to you, and only you. No one else should tell you what success is. If a parent things you must have a “steady” job with great benefits and then you’ll be successful, fine. If a spouse thinks a new home will make you successful, fine. But only your opinion matters here. Only you should set this bar, because only you can jump over it.

Figure out when it will be enough, then achieve it!

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7 Questions to Advance You and your Business - What Can be Learned

Ellis Benus — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:00:04 +0000

Shirt courtesy of JumperLumps.com

Learning should never cease. No matter your age, gender, social economic status or any other demographic data column you fall under, you should never stop learning.

One of my favorite quotes is from Samuel Johnson, ???A man ought to read just as inclination leads him, for what he reads as a task will do him little good.???

Reading is my favored form of information intake, your’s might be different. Blogs, library books, Wiki’s on specific subjects, and magazines are all great inexpensive or free resources for the written word. Whatever form of education you prefer, just make sure you keep learning or you will soon see yourself, and especially your business, fall behind the rest of the world.

What can I learn?

One way to fix what is broken, fill in the missing pieces and add value is to increase your knowledge through learning. Continuing education and training are constant buzz words in nearly any industry today. Whether you are the top dog in a large company, the sole proprietor wearing all the hats, or the employee under the first person mentioned, continuing to learn is no longer an option, it’s a necessity.

Albert Einstein has a great quote which goes:

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” - Albert Einstein

You have created problems at the level of thinking you occupy now. According to Einstein, you cannot solve those problems by remaining at that same level of thinking. The only way to solve those problems is to advance to the next level, and you can only accomplish this through learning.

Knowing what to learn is critical. As a web design I am constantly asking myself, is there a new programming language to learn, a new software package I need to familiarize myself with, or training I need to attend? There is a ton of information out there, discovering which of it to assimilate into the almighty brain is the tough part.

Start with what you are already doing. What books have you read recently? What magazines do you subscribe to? What blogs do you read? What continuing education or learning seminars have you attended? Etc… If you feel adequate in your knowledge, or even if you feel like you are progressing at an appropriate pace, then keep it up. Odds are you have evaluated what you need to learn and are chasing it down right now.

If you don’t feel complete in your knowledge, then think about what you are doing now. Are the books, blogs or magazines you are reading furthering your knowledge. Are they purely recreational, taking up time which might be spent completing what you need to know? Do not stop reading for recreation, but perhaps you should take some time to read other material instead of that People magazine, or the TV guide.

Ask other people. You must have heard a thousand times you should have a mentor, here is a great reason why. Ask someone in a field related to yours, or even someone who does the same thing you do. What if you are in a unique industry with few competitors, like selling life size Smurf dolls? First, congratulations, I love the Smurfs. Second, think about what type of a business you are, selling Smurf dolls makes you a retailer. Now, find other businesses like yours and talk to them. Odds are what they read will be directly applicable to what you need to learn. If you are an employee then there has to be some one else who has a job similar to your. Talk to them about where they keep learning.

What do you want to learn? The most important question is last. As adults we are almost scared to be asked the question, “what do you want?” But that is exactly what we are doing today. As an employee, as a business owner or as an individual there are certain things you must learn. However, the first quote above says you should read what you want. Personally, I want to learn how to run my own business, so I have been reading books to teach me that. If you are a business owner and want to grow your business, read books on that subject. If you are an employee and want to be the best possible, then find materials to teach you how to maximize your value to the organization.

Try to have some fun! It’s corny and overused, but reading can take you places you could not have gone otherwise. You have to learn some things, and there is more you want to learn. Keep those two balanced. A friend of mine and I are working to build our own remote controlled boat built with a weed eater motor. There is no business benefit there, but it sure will be a ton of fun when it is done!

Think about what you need to learn in order to fix the broken pieces, fill all the missing holes and add whatever value you can. Free information is nearly limitless on the internet. Finding valuable information might be tough, but well worth the effort. More importantly, the thrill you receive from learning something new always beats fixing a nagging problem.

Find out what you need to learn, then Learn It!

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