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Jun 23 2009

Priming The Pump

June 23, 2009 – 3:27 pm
By Todd | Posted in Inspiring Stories Of Giving | Comments (0)

I was in a nice, quaint restaurant the other evening, with some business associates. It’s a very intimate place that serves Cuban Fusion food and has some of the nicest decorations and artwork I’ve ever seen.

The place also has a piano. And we were fortunate enough to be blessed with live piano music during our dinner.

We were there for several hours, and many dinner parties had already come and gone. As we got ready to leave, I decided to take a detour over by the piano player to thank her and to put a tip in her jar sitting on the top of her piano.

I was surprised, though, to find that only one dollar was in the jar. After the hours she had spent playing, there was only one dollar in there?

I’ve played in coffee bars and clubs before, and I know the amount of practice one has to spend to get ready for gigs like this and to stay sharp on their instrument. So I wanted to thank her for that and put several dollars in her jar. She was very grateful and appreciative.

From my experiences in performing live, I remembered that I would always put a dollar in the tip jar just to get the flow started… sort of like priming the pump. So I was wondering if the single dollar that was in her jar when I came up to her piano was from her priming the pump? And then I thought…

This is what entertainers do… they put a dollar in the jar to prime the pump. To start the flow.

So… do you prime your prosperity pump? You can start the flow today through the very simple act of every day giving.

Blessings!

Todd

By Todd | Posted in Inspiring Stories Of Giving | Comments (0)
Jun 16 2009

Victoria’s Gift

June 16, 2009 – 3:21 pm
By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)

OK, so this isn’t really officially a blog post… it’s more like a link. And it’s a link to somebody else’s blog post… my wife’s.

I could not pass this up! This is the BEST story!!! You absolutely must see this…

http://victoriasilva.com/giving/

Victoria, thank you for all that you do - I love you!

:)

By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)
Jun 10 2009

The Secret Snow Wiper

June 10, 2009 – 11:56 am
By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)

This is one of my favorite stories that I’ve come across recently!

Secret Snow Wiper Will Strike Again!

Kinda reminds me of that famous guy that gives away money, the Secret Dollar Man…

Have fun!

Todd

By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)
Jun 03 2009

Locks On Pianos?

June 3, 2009 – 11:48 am
By Todd | Posted in Lessons Of Blessing | Comments (0)

I recently went to a conference where one of the events was a get together in a really nice hotel. It was a beautiful place!

If you read my posts, you may know by now that I’ve started taking piano lessons. I am a music nut, and I’m having more fun than ever learning a new instrument!

At the conference, I was away from home, and therefore my piano, for quite a few days. I was itchin’ ta play! I thought for sure I’d find a piano in the hotel that I could tool around on even if for a few minutes. Well… I found one.

In fact, I found two.

But… they had locks on them!!

Now, there’s that sensible side to me that knew this was for safety and protection of the hotel’s assetts.

But there was that creativity side of me that thought, how sad, a beautiful instrument sitting there waiting for someone to come up and make some music… and it’s got a LOCK on it!

I guess the “lesson” I walked away with was - Do I ever put a “lock” on my creativity? Do you on yours?

Hmmm… something to think about. But in the meantime, I’m back home. And I’m gonna play some…

:)

Blessings to you in all your wonderful creative expression,

Todd

By Todd | Posted in Lessons Of Blessing | Comments (0)
May 27 2009

Napkin Dispensers

May 27, 2009 – 3:39 pm
By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)

One of my most favorite places to hide a dollar is in the ice cream store.

I’ll walk in, and before settling down to place my order, I’ll walk over to one of the napkin dispensers and slip a dollar into one of the napkins, pushing it down so that it’s out of view…

So I went into the store today with my 14 year old daughter, and did my best Secret Dollar Man!

Right after my daughter ordered her ice cream, she reached in and pulled out a handful of napkins, and my dollar was in one of them! After we got into the car, she confessed that she found the dollar, and then she gifted it back to me!

You know, sometimes when we give, it takes a while for the Universe to return prosperity and abundance to us. But sometimes, like today, it comes back quicker than you can imagine!

Yum!

;)

By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)
May 20 2009

The ATM That Ate My Dollar

May 20, 2009 – 9:43 am
By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)

Look closely now…

ATM_dollar

:)

By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)
May 14 2009

Sad Passing

May 14, 2009 – 5:03 pm
By Todd | Posted in Announcements | Comments (0)

(This is a different kind of post for this blog… more about “knead”-ing… than giving…)

Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71. Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours. Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions. Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, and three children, John Dough, Jane Dough, and Dosey Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart. The funeral was held at 350 for about 20 minutes.

:D

If this made you smile for even a brief second, please “rise” to the occasion and take time to pass it on and share that smile with someone else who may be having a “crumb”-y day and “kneads” a lift.

By Todd | Posted in Announcements | Comments (0)
May 08 2009

Dollar On The Scaffold

May 8, 2009 – 9:34 am
By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)

There was some work being done on the outside of my office building recently, so there was a scaffold set up right outside the building entryway. Well… you know the Secret Dollar Man… he can never resist anything so tempting as this…

dollar_on_the_scaffold

But here’s the fun part… EVERYONE in our building goes out that door, every day. So I would have thought for sure someone would find that bill and snatch it! But it must have been there for 3 or 4 days before someone recognized it. I put another one out there, and it was gone in less than a day. And… I did it a third time, and it was gone in a heartbeat. So… someone was catching on to this new secret hiding place!!

By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)
May 02 2009

From Grumpy To Happy In Under 30 Seconds

May 2, 2009 – 8:46 pm
By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (1)

I was at the airport, getting ready to depart, and just got the news that our flight, and several others, were being delayed by two hours. Ugghhhh… Flying…

OK, so the tensions were starting to run a little high with everyone. And I was getting irritated because it meant that I would get to my destination hotel really late, and not get the hours of sleep I was hoping to get.

So…

I decided to spread a little joy. To turn this whole thing around!

You know those stretch limo golf cart looking things that cruise back and forth inside the airport terminals, hauling folks from one terminal to the next? Well… I found an empty one, where the driver must’ve been taking a break or something. So I slipped over there, stood right next to it, looking around for the perfect moment when no one was looking, and slipped my dollar bill right into one of the cup holders in the front of the cart!

Either the driver, or one of the next passengers, is going to get a nice surprise when they get in!!!

Try this the next time you need to go from grumpy to happy in 30 seconds or less!

Blessings,

Todd

By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (1)
Apr 26 2009

Time And Money

April 26, 2009 – 10:08 am
By Todd | Posted in Articles | Comments (0)

Two of the biggest worries common to all people (or at least those of a western influence) are…

Time…

And money.

Many folks complain that they never have enough of either. So let’s play a game.

Imagine for just a moment that you had all the money that you ever needed. Said another way, that you no longer had any money or financial things to worry about and that all of your needs and wants would be met from here on out. And now, here’s the game, it’s in the form of a question…

If you had all the money that you would ever need, and therefore you didn’t have to “work”, what would you “do”?

Now ask the same question about time. And imagine you had all the time in the world, meaning your health was excellent, and you didn’t have any fear of old age or even death. How would do what you do? Would you feel the pressure of having to get it done this week or this month? Or would you take your time, trust in the process, and even stop to smell the roses along the way? In other words, would you enjoy the journey, and the unfolding?

So now… Here’s the real question…

Why aren’t you doing what you want to do, and allowing it to unfold at that graceful pace right now?

If you know what it is, then what are you waiting for? Get started now, even if it’s baby steps.

If it’s not coming to you, though, when will you give yourself the permission and the time to dream? To re-learn? To re-discover?

Thank you for playing,

Todd

PS - this is from one of Mike Dooley’s Notes From The Universe: “Worry and time have an inverse relationship. The more you have of one, the less you have of the other. Yet curiously, Todd, both are suspended when you live in the now.”

By Todd | Posted in Articles | Comments (0)
Apr 20 2009

A Double Shot

April 20, 2009 – 1:17 pm
By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)

So there I was, walking into the veterinarian to restock on heartworm pills for our German Shepherd, Licorice. I had my dollar in hand… Since there were quite a few folks in the lobby, I was a little more nervous than usual, and carefully looking around to make sure nobody would see the Secret Dollar Man in action! My first spot was just to place it on the counter next to a bowl. But the more I thought about it, the more it dawned on me there was definitely a better place. The bowl was actually filled with candy, for anyone to partake in while they’re waiting in the lobby for their furry family friend. So I looked around again, and when the moment felt right, I started swizzling papers around on the counter top, trying to hide the fact that I was trying to hide my dollar in this candy dish… Well, I pulled it off! And now the next kid – or, big kid for that matter – that goes in to stock up on some candy… OK, you know the rest! Give Away A Dollar A Day is truly a ton of fun!

That same afternoon, I made another trip to the Toyota dealership for our Camry Hybrid’s state inspection. I found myself in yet another lobby… This one had a couple rows of chairs and a flat screen TV with one of those entertaining day time court room shows playing. So I sat down in the second row, and in the seat next to me there were a stack of newspapers. I tucked another bill underneath the stack of papers. But, you know what, it was getting a little late in the afternoon, and I had this hunch that the stack of papers may just get thrown out soon, and that they might throw the dollar out with it. So I moved the bill to a more obvious and open spot between two seats in the row of seats in front of me. There was one guy walking around, talking on the cell phone, who spotted it but didn’t make a run at it. Then two more guys looked at it, and one of them even sat down right next to it without taking it! Finally, an older woman came walking right in front of me, spotted it in the row in front, and I loved watching her… She did not look around at all. Instead, she very confidently walked right over to it, opened up her purse, put the dollar in, and then walked over to the soda machine. Didn’t flinch at all. She knew that the bill was HERS!

Too fun!!!

:)

Todd

By Todd | Posted in Creative Ideas For Giving | Comments (0)
Apr 14 2009

Chipping Away On The Piano

April 14, 2009 – 10:16 am
By Todd | Posted in Lessons Of Blessing | Comments (0)

I’m 52 years old. By some standards, that’s approaching old fart status… :)

I’ve been playing the guitar for 40 years, been singing for about 15 of ‘em. I absolutely love music, playing it, writing it, composing it, producing it. Music is in my blood. And I’ve recently made a real stretch with music…

I’ve started taking piano lessons. I can play the guitar with my eyes closed. But on the piano, I’m as newbie as newbie gets. I’ve only had TWO lessons thus far!

And you want to know what’s weird? I can feel that tendency within to want to quit.

Years ago, I taught guitar lessons. And it was almost unanimous that the students all wanted to quit somewhere close to the beginning. They just couldn’t get their fretting fingers to sit right on the strings… they couldn’t get that “sound” they were looking for, or that they had dreamed of before they picked up the instrument. They could imagine it, and hear it in their mind, but they couldn’t make it happen upon sitting down with the guitar and giving it a go.

So the weird part is… In my mind, I can hear myself playing beautiful pieces, and creating new works that are the best ever! But my fingers? Right now… well… they no workee… (OK, Ok, they workee, sort of, just not as well as I’d like them to, so am I being impatient? Probably…)

And then I had that big ah ha moment! When I look at this experience, this unfolding, on the bright side, I realize that each day, when I practice, it feels as though I am chipping away at something, one very tiny piece at a time. It may not look like much or seem like much from one day to the next, but… over time…

It’s like when a seasoned sculptor starts out with a big, ugly, formless block - he/she already “sees” the finished product, but must chip away, one very tiny piece at a time, to reveal to others what they already know.

So I commit to mentoring myself now and saying, “patience my young Padawan, time to get ready for lesson number 3!”

:)

Todd

PS - Is this related in any way to giving? You betcha! 100%! You must give time to anything worth doing, especially your dream!!!

By Todd | Posted in Lessons Of Blessing | Comments (0)
Apr 08 2009

Feminine Living.com

April 8, 2009 – 9:05 am
By Todd | Posted in Announcements | Comments (0)

For a semi old timer like me, the whole experience of the internet sometimes feels like it’s moving at a pace that is faster than I can keep up with. Too many friend invites, Twitter tweets, blogs to read, how can I manage all of this? But the bigger question is this - am I supposed to? In other words, am I… and, are we… wired for this?

OK, Ok, there are definitely times when I want to be “connected”. But there are other times in my day and in my week that I long for a simpler pace, like actually calling someone on the phone, or making a gift to take with me when visiting a friend (instead of hurrying to the store to buy a pre-made gift wrapped in a pre-made package).

So, I really want to thank my wife, Victoria, because she values this simpler life, and reminds me of the importance of it. She helps women to bring it back into their lives and into their homes where they can truly embrace it. I believe we’d all be much happier and healthier if we just slowed down a wee bit and smelled those ol’ proverbial roses.

For more than a dozen years, Victoria has researched and taught about feminine tradition, celebration, and ceremony. Today, she has one of the most beautiful, and helpful, websites on the internet. Do yourself a favor… Downshift out of overdrive for a few moments today, and visit FeminineLiving.com. Look around, and browse through some of Victoria’s course and classes, and - this is my personal favorite! - her gift store where all of her products are hand crafted and hand packaged by Victoria herself!!

FeminineLiving.com is not really a stroll through memory lane… it’s a reminder of the importance of simplifying your life and your lifestyle in the here and now! Give the gift of simplicity and timeless tradition to yourself, and to your loved ones!

Blessings,

Todd

By Todd | Posted in Announcements | Comments (0)
Apr 02 2009

Give To Live, by Dr. Rick Barrett

April 2, 2009 – 7:58 am
By Todd | Posted in Announcements | Comments (0)

I had lunch with Dr. Rick Barrett earlier this week. We first met almost 15 years ago at a music venue where I was performing, and didn’t talk again until a few weeks ago when Rick was a guest, along with Dr. Joe Vitale, on the Give Away A Dollar A Day Show. But this week was the first time I had the chance to sit down and really get to know Rick, on a more personal level.

I’ll tell you, Rick is an incredible man. He is one of those rare folks who truly walks his talk. Rick is a natural giver, giving unconditionally from his heart. And this really shines through in his missionary work that he does in Honduras and Mexico.

Rick recently announced a gem of a book that he co-authored with Dr. Vitale, called Give To Live. I’ve read it, was very inspired by it, and I highly recommend it to you. You can download the e-book version for free. Or you can get the printed version to take with you and share with friends!

Give To Live is about being in service, and it talks a lot about the missionary work Rick has done and continues to do. He shared a very moving story with me yesterday that is on his blog. You should read it, it’ll tug at your heart!

Like I said, when it comes to unconditional giving, and selfless service, Dr. Rick Barrett walks his talk.

Thank you, Rick, for the gifts you bring to the world every day!

Blessings,

Todd

By Todd | Posted in Announcements | Comments (0)
Mar 27 2009

The Clipboard

March 27, 2009 – 9:56 am
By Todd | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

We had just finished eating at our favorite Greek restaurant in the Montrose area of Houston, and I needed to hit the restroom on the way out. I hadn’t given away my dollar yet for the day, so I thought I would leave it somewhere in the restroom. Just as I was ready to do so, someone else came in. So I tried to look like I was still busy, still cleaning up, going back over to the mirror, anything to distract this new visitor from what I was really about to do!

While waiting for him to leave, I noticed something hanging on the wall, next to the door. It was a small clipboard with the bathroom clean-up schedule - you know the ones that the maintenance personnel have to fill out to show that they are attending to the restrooms? And that’s when I got my nudge, my inspiration from Spirit - leave it there…

I only had to wait a couple more seconds for the visitor to leave the restroom. He probably thought I was weird anyway… hanging out, spending way too much time in front of the mirror…

So… out he goes, and then I slip my dollar in between the pages on that small clipboard. I walked back out to greet my family, like nothing happened…

We drove off…

Another successful “drop” by The Secret Dollar Man!

:)

By Todd | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)