Rick Itzkowich

Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ylqJ

Feed: Xtraordinary Living Blog

• Blowing bubbles | 2010-07-29

  Thank you to my client Lilly Emerson for sharing this with me. Some of my favorite diving experiences have been with dolphins, This short video shows another incredible demonstration of how intelligent and social dolphins are.
  
  Click on the image below to watch it. Enjoy
  
  

  
  
  

• The Pencil | 2010-07-23

  
  A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked: 'Are you writing a story about what we've done? Is it a story about me?' His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson: I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.'
  
  Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.
  ‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’
  ‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’
  
  ‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’
  
  ‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.
  
  ‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’
  
  ‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’
  
  ‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action’
  source: “Like the Flowing River” by Paulo Coelho
  

  
  
  

• Give up your birthday | 2010-07-15

  
  Here's a new way to celebrate your birthday: Donate it! Helping others is one of the best ways I have found to feel good about me. How about using YOUR birthday to MAKE other people's day? Check this out. Type rest of the post here

  
  
  

• God vs. Satan - What do you think? | 2010-07-10
  This is a humorous take on Creation

  View more presentations from Rick Itzkowich.
  Type rest of the post here
  
  
  

• A new twist on starting your day on a positive note | 2010-07-08

  It's been a while since I've posted on this blog. I just saw this video and got inspired and had a big smile on my face. Enjoy!
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

• The Most Efficient Form of Exercise I Know Of | 2010-05-28

  
  Here's an article that was written about me that will have you learn a few things about me.
  
  Rick Itzkowich (at bat) was skeptical he could get great results in just 20 minutes, but during 11 years of training with The Perfect Workout, he's gained strength and saved time.
  
  Rick Itzkowich loves the game of baseball. He's not only a huge fan (he's batted against professional pitching at the Dodgers fantasy camp), but he still plays in an adult league. He's the leadoff hitter, plays shortstop and is easily one of the fastest guys on the team.
  
  That wouldn't be so unusual, except for the fact that Rick is 52 years old, and he plays in a 38-and-over division, where a lot of the guys are ten years younger than he is.
  
  Not only that, but he snowboards, scuba dives, road bikes, and plays tennis. Somehow he fits all this in while acting as Vice President of Productive Learning & Leisure, LLC, a company he co-founded back in 1992.
  
  What's the key to Rick's youthful exuberance? And how does he find time to stay in shape for all these activities?
  
  Rick confesses, "I don't particularly like to exercise. I've always done the minimum weight lifting needed to enjoy the activities I do." The Perfect Workout sounded like the perfect fit, but Rick says, "I was skeptical. Not that I could do it, but that I'd get the results they claimed."
  
  That was almost 11 years ago. Today he's still going strong at The Perfect Workout, and Rick figures he might be the longest running client.
  
  The beauty of The Perfect Workout is that in two 20-minute sessions per week, you can increase strength, increase metabolism (burning more fat and calories all day long, and keeping you lean), and enjoy all your other activities more. As Rick has found out, everything is easier when you're maintaining your youthful strength.
  
  Rick's main goal all along has been to maintain his athleticism as he gets older. "I'm not one of the fastest guys on my baseball team because I got faster, but because the rest of the guys got slower!"
  
  Most people Rick's age have to watch what they eat and step up the exercise, and they still see a slowly deteriorating physical condition. Rick continues to eat the way he's always eaten, and participate in all the activities he's always done.
  
  "It's all about spending the least amount of time possible and getting the results I want," says Rick. "I can work out as little as I do, and maintain what I have. It's the most efficient form of exercise I know of."
  
  Efficient use of time is extremely important to Rick, because his other passion is the business he started 18 years ago, San Clemente-based Productive Learning & Leisure, LLC (www.ProductiveLearning.com). Productive Learning & Leisure (PL&L) is a privately held company that provides the tools and experiences to help people create an "extraordinary life" in a relaxed atmosphere of fun, sports and recreation.
  
  "Adults learn the same way as kids," says Rick, "by doing and having fun!" PL&L offers personal growth seminars using a model based on the integral link between leisure, sports, adventure and life.
  
  Rick has been teaching personal development seminars since 1980, and found that people approach business and personal situations in much the same way they address sports or any other "real life" challenge.
  
  PL&L combines that approach with adventure travel, personal growth and new experiences. The net result is clients who feel refreshed, inspired, and better equipped to lead happier and more productive lives, both personally and in business.
  
  Upcoming courses include "Producing Positive Change" here in Southern California, "Life Patterns Advanced" in Hawaii, "Learn to Learn" in Indonesia, and many others.
  
  When he's not busy running PL&L, Rick is helping small businesses with a tool he developed called "QuoteActions" (www.QuoteActions.com). The QuoteActions program is a perfect tool for entrepreneurs, small business owners, sales reps and others who want an easy and inexpensive way to stay in front of clients and prospects.
  
  It's a tool that was born out of necessity. Rick had a newsletter that was going out monthly to his clients, and realized how expensive and time-consuming it was to produce it.
  
  QuoteActions is a simple, turn-key system that allows a business owner or sales rep to stay in front of prospects on a regular basis. It creates goodwill with those prospects, offers something of value, and ultimately, produces sales. Rick says it only takes 10-15 minutes to set up, and it's at a cost that every business can afford.
  
  Whether it's staying in peak physical condition at age 52, or helping clients achieve more productive business and personal lives through Productive Learning & Leisure, LLC, or QuoteActions, Rick is one of the most positive, energetic, and fascinating guys you'll ever meet.
  
  As Rick would tell you, it's a mindset. If you're a lifelong learner, action-oriented, and open to doing things a little differently than the masses, you'll be successful.

  
  
  

• The taxi ride | 2010-04-26

  
  
  My wife Jessica just sent me this email. I enjoyed it and thought you would too.
  
  
  A Most beautiful story..............
  
  I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi. I honked
  but no one came out. I honked again, nothing. So I walked to the door
  and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could
  hear something being dragged across the floor.
  After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood
  before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil
  pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.
  
  By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no
  one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with
  sheets..
  
  There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the
  counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and
  glassware.
  
  'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase
  to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.
  
  She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the cab.
  
  She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I
  just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother
  treated'....
  'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave
  me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'
  
  'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.
  'Oh, I don't mind,' she said 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a
  hospice'.
  
  I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't
  have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very
  long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
  
  'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.
  
  For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the
  building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
  
  We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived
  when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture
  warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a
  girl.
  
  Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or
  corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
  
  As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said,
  'I'm tired. Let's go now'
  
  We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low
  building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed
  under a portico..
  
  Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were
  solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been
  expecting her.
  
  I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman
  was already seated in a wheelchair.
  
  'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.
  'Nothing,' I said
  
  'You have to make a living,' she answered.
  
  'There are other passengers,' I responded.
  
  Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me
  tightly.
  
  'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said...
  
  'Thank you.'
  
  I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.
  Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
  I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost
  in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.
  What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his
  shift?
  What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven
  away?
  On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more
  important in my life.
  
  We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.
  
  But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what
  others may consider a small one.
  
  PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY
  WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.
  
  Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might
  as well dance.
  

  
  
  

• How are you measuring success? | 2010-04-22

  As I was cleaning up the clutter on my desktop, I came across the following article on Success. I can't remember where I saw it nor who wrote it. So my apologies to the author. If you read this and you wrote it - or know the person who wrote it - please let me know so that I can correctly attribute it. However, I do think that the piece contains some great thoughts and I wanted to share them with my readers. Please let me know your thoughts on success.
  
  I’ve known men and women who measure success by their ability to attract the opposite sex. You’ve met these people, too, haven’t you?
  
  Some people measure success by their ability to inflict pain in the lives of others. Bullies, vandals, website hackers, internet virus creators and bad policemen are tragic examples. The fact that they momentarily control our time, emotions and energy gives them a perverted sense of power. I know of no cure for this sickness.
  
  And then there are the many who measure success by the acquisition of things that cost money. I think this definition covers most of us.
  
  John Steinbeck gave us a way to identify the scoreboard we’re using to measure our success. All one needs to do is ask oneself, “What are my plans for the future?”
  
  “A rich life is rich in plans. If they don't come off, they are still a little bit realized. If they do, they may be disappointing. That's why a trip described becomes better the greater the time between the trip and the telling. I believe too that if you can know a man's plans, you know more about him than you can in any other way."
  – John Steinbeck, Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters
  
  Today I submit these additional measurements of success for your consideration:
  
  1. Am I sufficiently curious?
  “Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”
  – Albert Einstein
  
  2. How little do I need to be happy?
  “It is not the man who has little, but he who desires more, that is poor.”
  - Seneca the younger, (3BC-65AD)
  
  3. Have I proven that I care?
  "That's the thing with handmade items. They still have the person's mark on them, and when you hold them, you feel less alone. This is why everyone who eats a Whopper leaves a little more depressed than they were when they came in. Nobody cooked that burger."
  – Aimee Bender, from her short story, Tiger Mending
  
  4. How many lives have I made better today?
  “In a completely rational society, teachers would be at the tip of the pyramid, not near the bottom. In that society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers, and the rest of us would have to settle for something less. The job of passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor anyone could have.”
  – Lee Iacocca, Where Have All the Leaders Gone? p. 217
  
  Are you satisfied with the scoreboard you’ve been using to measure success? Remember, you alone get to choose. To measure success according to a scoreboard thrust upon you by another is tantamount to psychic slavery.
  
  Don’t be anyone’s slave. Measure success by your own scoreboard. The point of today’s memo is to encourage you to choose your scoreboard consciously rather than unconsciously.
  

  
  
  

• What Teachers Make | 2010-03-28

  Please pass along to every teacher you know. They deserve to watch this.
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

• a 3-minute inspirational break | 2010-03-28

  Click on the image to enjoy this short movie that has some excellent quotes, beautiful pictures and uplifting music.
  
  
  You can also click here to watch the movie
  
  
  

  
  
  

Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Quoteactions

Feed: QuoteActions

• Here's your QuoteAction of the day | 2010-09-03

  	Dear Subscriber, Here's your "QuoteAction" of the day: "There is no magic in magic, it's all in the details." Walt Disney Your action for today is to check that the batteries in your home smoke alarms are working. Have an extraordinary day! Rick Itzkowich Master of the Daily Quote rick@productivelearning.com 858-456-7653 -- To unsubscribe, change frequency or email Press here -- If you received this as a forward and want to subscribe to QuoteActions - Press here -- Send QuoteActions to your contacts, prospects, family and friends Press here -- QuoteActions is brought to you in association with Productive Learning & Leisure Rick Itzkowich 34700 Pacific Coast Highway #202 Capistrano Beach, CA 92624

  
  

• Here's your QuoteAction of the day | 2010-09-02

  	Dear Subscriber, Here's your "QuoteAction" of the day: "Both tears and sweat are salty, but they render a different result. Tears will get you sympathy; sweat will get you change." Reverend, Jesse Jackson Your action for today is to renew your commitment to make something happen. Have an extraordinary day! Rick Itzkowich Master of the Daily Quote rick@productivelearning.com 858-456-7653 -- To unsubscribe, change frequency or email Press here -- If you received this as a forward and want to subscribe to QuoteActions - Press here -- Send QuoteActions to your contacts, prospects, family and friends Press here -- QuoteActions is brought to you in association with Productive Learning & Leisure Rick Itzkowich 34700 Pacific Coast Highway #202 Capistrano Beach, CA 92624

  
  

• Here's your QuoteAction of the day | 2010-09-01

  	Dear Subscriber, Here's your "QuoteAction" of the day: "Don't try to teach a whole course in one lesson." Ballroom Dancer, Kathryn Murray Your action for today is to acknowledge the progress you have made in an area that you are still falling short of your expectations. Have an extraordinary day! Rick Itzkowich Master of the Daily Quote rick@productivelearning.com 858-456-7653 -- To unsubscribe, change frequency or email Press here -- If you received this as a forward and want to subscribe to QuoteActions - Press here -- Send QuoteActions to your contacts, prospects, family and friends Press here -- QuoteActions is brought to you in association with Productive Learning & Leisure Rick Itzkowich 34700 Pacific Coast Highway #202 Capistrano Beach, CA 92624

  
  

• Here's your QuoteAction of the day | 2010-08-31

  	Dear Subscriber, Here's your "QuoteAction" of the day: "One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach." Aviator and Author, Anne Morrow Lindbergh Your action for today is to give yourself a break and don't try to do too much. Have an extraordinary day! Rick Itzkowich Master of the Daily Quote rick@productivelearning.com 858-456-7653 -- To unsubscribe, change frequency or email Press here -- If you received this as a forward and want to subscribe to QuoteActions - Press here -- Send QuoteActions to your contacts, prospects, family and friends Press here -- QuoteActions is brought to you in association with Productive Learning & Leisure Rick Itzkowich 34700 Pacific Coast Highway #202 Capistrano Beach, CA 92624

  
  

• Here's your QuoteAction of the day | 2010-08-30

  	Dear Subscriber, Here's your "QuoteAction" of the day: "The Wright brothers flew through the smoke screen of impossibility." Author, Dorothy Brande Your action for today is to try something regardless of how difficult or impossible it seems. Have an extraordinary day! Rick Itzkowich Master of the Daily Quote rick@productivelearning.com 858-456-7653 -- To unsubscribe, change frequency or email Press here -- If you received this as a forward and want to subscribe to QuoteActions - Press here -- Send QuoteActions to your contacts, prospects, family and friends Press here -- QuoteActions is brought to you in association with Productive Learning & Leisure Rick Itzkowich 34700 Pacific Coast Highway #202 Capistrano Beach, CA 92624

  
  

• Here's your QuoteAction of the day | 2010-08-27

  	Dear Subscriber, Here's your "QuoteAction" of the day: "The solution is in the continuous presence of being in the 'Now' as we press forward with total belief and effort to obtain our goal." 13-Year Old Tennis Athlete, Coco Hsu Your action for today is to be fully present and engaged in one of your conversations. Have an extraordinary day! Rick Itzkowich Master of the Daily Quote rick@productivelearning.com 858-456-7653 -- To unsubscribe, change frequency or email Press here -- If you received this as a forward and want to subscribe to QuoteActions - Press here -- Send QuoteActions to your contacts, prospects, family and friends Press here -- QuoteActions is brought to you in association with Productive Learning & Leisure Rick Itzkowich 34700 Pacific Coast Highway #202 Capistrano Beach, CA 92624

  
  

• Here's your QuoteAction of the day | 2010-08-26

  	Dear Subscriber, Here's your "QuoteAction" of the day: "A gentleman is one who keeps his promises to those who cannot enforce them." An Unknown Author Your action for today is to make good on a promise you have not yet fulfilled. Have an extraordinary day! Rick Itzkowich Master of the Daily Quote rick@productivelearning.com 858-456-7653 -- To unsubscribe, change frequency or email Press here -- If you received this as a forward and want to subscribe to QuoteActions - Press here -- Send QuoteActions to your contacts, prospects, family and friends Press here -- QuoteActions is brought to you in association with Productive Learning & Leisure Rick Itzkowich 34700 Pacific Coast Highway #202 Capistrano Beach, CA 92624

  
  

• Here's your QuoteAction of the day | 2010-08-25

  	Dear Subscriber, Here's your "QuoteAction" of the day: "The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority." American Geographer, Ralph Sockman Your action for today is to listen without judgment to someone who has a different opinion from yours. Have an extraordinary day! Rick Itzkowich Master of the Daily Quote rick@productivelearning.com 858-456-7653 -- To unsubscribe, change frequency or email Press here -- If you received this as a forward and want to subscribe to QuoteActions - Press here -- Send QuoteActions to your contacts, prospects, family and friends Press here -- QuoteActions is brought to you in association with Productive Learning & Leisure Rick Itzkowich 34700 Pacific Coast Highway #202 Capistrano Beach, CA 92624

  
  

• Here's your QuoteAction of the day | 2010-08-24

  	Dear Subscriber, Here's your "QuoteAction" of the day: "When nobody around you seems to measure up, it's time to check your yardstick." Writer, Bill Lemley Your action for today is to offer some praise or acknowledgement to someone. Have an extraordinary day! Rick Itzkowich Master of the Daily Quote rick@productivelearning.com 858-456-7653 -- To unsubscribe, change frequency or email Press here -- If you received this as a forward and want to subscribe to QuoteActions - Press here -- Send QuoteActions to your contacts, prospects, family and friends Press here -- QuoteActions is brought to you in association with Productive Learning & Leisure Rick Itzkowich 34700 Pacific Coast Highway #202 Capistrano Beach, CA 92624

  
  

• Here's your QuoteAction of the day | 2010-08-23

  	Dear Subscriber, Here's your "QuoteAction" of the day: "When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy." Movie Producer, Samuel Goldwyn Your action for today is to acknowledge someone for something they have done--listen for their response to your praise and see how you feel about it. Have an extraordinary day! Rick Itzkowich Master of the Daily Quote rick@productivelearning.com 858-456-7653 -- To unsubscribe, change frequency or email Press here -- If you received this as a forward and want to subscribe to QuoteActions - Press here -- Send QuoteActions to your contacts, prospects, family and friends Press here -- QuoteActions is brought to you in association with Productive Learning & Leisure Rick Itzkowich 34700 Pacific Coast Highway #202 Capistrano Beach, CA 92624