Holbrook New Media Audio Feed

Ashton Kutcher, Actor   “Vulnerability is the essence of romance. It's the art of being uncalculated, the willingness to look foolish, the courage to say, 'This is me, and I'm interested in you enough to show you my flaws with the hope that you may embrace me for all that I am but, more important, all that I am not.”   Have you ever noticed how backward dating is? You have two people who are desperately trying to act like someone they aren’t going to a place they aren’t comfortable, and trying to look good doing it. Not easy to pull off. On my first date with Dee, I was conscious of the fact that the guy she had casually dated just before me had a really great car. I had a subcompact car. To make matters worse, the day of the date, my brother borrowed my car and the unfortunate tendency for the back popout window to popout for real occurred that very day. It wasn’t his fault and I knew it. Any other day it would have been fine, but having an inferior car that also had electrical tape around the door face on h

Carly Fiorina, Former CEO, and Current Presidential Candidate   “I lost my job in the most public way possible, and the press had a field day with it all over the world. And guess what? I'm still here.”   When everything hits the fan, most people call it failure, and that is usually construed as quite the negative. Being human, this a completely natural reaction, mostly because it’s hard to feel positive when things didn’t work despite your best efforts, and you are not in control of the outcome. How do successful people look at this type of situation? Ms. Fiorina decided to run for office. In 2010 she won the Republican nomination for the U. S. Senate in a three way race in California, but lost in the general election. Strike two. At the time of this episode, she is running for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Whatever she ends up accomplishing she is quite driven and will continue to go for it. In this case, she will either lose in the primary, or general elections, but stands a

My wife Dee and I have a new show called the WV Podcast. It is a show about the great state of WV and the stories of the amazing people who make it such a great place to live. Let’s tear down the negative hillbilly stereotype assigned to us by the national media. Let’s tell our own story. You can find the show at wvpodcast.com.    Stephen Hawking, Celebrated Physicist   “In my school, the brightest boys did math and physics, the less bright did physics and chemistry, and the least bright did biology. I wanted to do math and physics, but my father made me do chemistry because he thought there would be no jobs for mathematicians.”   We have only their best interests in mind. We feed and clothe them, help to heal them when they get hurt, correct them when they stray from the moral code, and try our best to set them on the right path to respectable independence. But sometimes, we make mistakes. In this case, Stephen Hawking's father was mistaken about something.    We as parents set the framework for a successful

Judy Garland, Actress   “Be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody else.” When a critic reviews a new actor in a smash hit movie, and they wonder where this person has been for all this time without being discovered, many times they say he was almost as good as John Wayne, or one of the other famous actors. It is quite well known that you can never out John Wayne John Wayne. Attempting to honor the legacy and learn from it is great, but to actually try to duplicate the original is a losing proposition. You are much better off being yourself and starting a new legacy of your own.  Some of us are doomed to follow the legacy of a parent who is known for some great qualities, or a sibling who played amazing football 2 years before we got there, and everyone is expecting you not to measure up. Oh, that is except the coach. The coach is actually PRAYING you will be as good at football. This begs the question, do you want that shadow looming over you? Maybe a better question wo

Henry Ford, Automotive Giant   "My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me."   Think about your best friend. Most of the time this would be the person who encourages you the most, tells you how well you are doing and listens to you when things are hitting the fan in your life. We all need a person like this around us, and we feel good while we are in their presence. Now, how about a person who will tactfully tell you the honest truth? Ooo, that's a little tougher.  Hearing the truth can be a little unpleasant at times, especially when we hear we are not measuring up to our full potential. So, which friend is more apt to help you improve and live up to your full potential? Is it the one who encourages you, and tells you how great you are doing, or the one who tells you truthfully what is needed to reach your next level of development? If you want to improve, it is painfully obvious that the hard truth is just what the doctor ordered. This "best" friend will be one who is tactful, honest, and encou

Carter G. Woodson, the Father Of Black History Month   “If you can control a man’s thinking, you don’t have to worry about his actions. If you can determine what a man thinks you do not have to worry about what he will do. If you can make a man believe that he is inferior, you don’t have to compel him to seek an inferior status, he will do so without being told"   In earlier episodes of Daggers Of The Mind, you have heard me say that what you think determines the decisions you make, and the actions you take. There is a simple explanation for this. If you think you can, you will give it your best, but if you don't think you can, you won't even try. That is very telling for specific situations, but what if a person feels inferior to those around them in general? How would this affect how a person behaves?   Don Shula said:   "The superior man blames himself. The inferior man blames others."   Failure is something that takes fortitude to accept. People who consider themselves inferior are in a weakened position,

Rob Walch, Vice President of Podcaster Relations at Liberated Syndication. More commonly known as Libsyn. This quote came from episode 45 of The Feed, the official Libsyn podcast. If you want to hear it, it happened at the 25 minute mark in the show.   “Never blame on malice that which can easily be explained by incompetence.”   Have you ever noticed how quickly we jump to the conclusion that someone has it out for us when things don’t go our way? On the individual level, that sometimes is the case, although it is less often than we ourselves think it is.  When we go there, we are thinking that the other person spends the same amount of time thinking about us and our needs as we do. But is this even possible? Turn it around and ask yourself. Is there another person in your world that you spent more time thinking about today? Someone whose welfare was more strongly in your mind than your own? If you don’t include your own children, spouse and possibly other family members and close friends, how much time do yo

Calvin Coolidge, President Of The United States   “I have never been hurt by what I have not said.”   Most people hope that they have the right words to say at the right time, but have you ever contemplated the value of silence? Silence is probably the most underused form of speech. We somehow think we can make things better if we explain something more. This is clearly not always the case. It is possible to lose a sale, or a customer altogether if you keep on talking after the deal has been accepted. You can cause additional grief at a funeral by talking too much when you are nervously trying to comfort someone. It’s even possible to cause wars when somebody like a President talks too much. President Coolidge had so little to say, his nickname was “Silent Cal”. I think we can learn a little from him on this point. In Episode 10 of Daggers Of The Mind, I told of another time when silence was just what was needed. Here is an excerpt: When my father-in-law was ill and coming to the end of his life, he had an ol

Cesar Chavez, Co-founder of The National Farm Workers Association   “Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.”   Let’s do the definition of disrespect. This time from the Urban Dictionary: a user called “this means“ defined it as: “the act of putting someone down, trying to make them feel low, treating someone in a horrible manner, showing a person they mean less than nothing to you, a hurtful act that is both rude and ignorant towards another person’s feelings.” Nicely done I think. That sums it up well.  Most of us belong to multiple cultures. Race, gender, religion, and myriad of other things that we each identify with makes us who believe we are. Embracing each of these makes us the complete person have become. If we are comfortable with who we are, there is no need to put someone else down who is different in their thinking and experiences. But are you truly comfortable with who you are? Feeling the need to put others down could be an indication that y

This first quote was contributed by my wife, Dee Holbrook.   Faith Hill, Country Music Superstar   “I don't know why 'happy' can't be a story.”   Most checkout lines in your local stores have them. People subscribe to get them, and there are entire TV shows dedicated to propagating them. Enough people want to hear them that millions are made. All those who want a piece of the business have to do, is publish bold faced lies.  I just noticed this week that for probably the 20th time, that Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are fighting and getting a divorce. It’s going to get ugly. The expressions on their faces tell the whole story. You believe this….. Right? Ms Hill spoke the words in our first quote when asked in an interview about their marital troubles. Since they weren’t having any, she wondered why the only thing that was newsworthy had to be bad. That is a good question. How is it possible that so much money and time could be wasted on information that is clearly known to be completely false? The people who buy

Amelia Earhart, Aviation Pioneer   "Never interrupt someone doing something you said couldn’t be done.”   In the 19th century. It was thought by experts that going at speeds of over 30 miles an hour on railroad trains would induce suffocation. I am assuming that this was because the normal force of outward breath was less than the pressure of air rushing by at high speeds. This actually is logical in the absence of experimentation. I am assuming the only persons who had gone faster were those who had fallen from great heights, and they weren’t talking. Later it was proven to be just so much rubbish, and now we travel much faster with no ill effects other than the occasional bug on the windshield.  Sailing past the edge of the world that was thought to be flat, crossing the sound barrier, reaching the moon, and a myriad of other amazing things were once thought to be impossible, but humans surpassed their fear and reached these milestones, and lived. Humans who are less brave have a long history of predicting

Bart Starr, Legendary Quarterback for the Green Bay Packers   “We, all of us, could do a much better job of evoking what someone has called the universal principle of human altruism: the urge in us all to help others who are in danger.”   My wife and I were recently on a little jaunt to a park in a nearby town, when we saw a man laying by the road near his bicycle. As we got closer, it was clear that he was an older man, and that he was in pain. We pulled over and tried to see what we could do to help. My wife, who has some medical training, assessed the situation and told me to call 911. He had hurt his leg in the fall and it turned out he had actually broken his femur. At 83 years old, and 3 years out from a hip replacement, this wasn’t very funny. Other than his leg, he was in good shape, and was very friendly and grateful for the help. My wife has an extremely comforting manner and held his hand all the while. When we got his cell phone out and he called a family member to tell them what was happening, he

Juliette Lewis, Actress   “The worst thing you can do to a kid is tell them their dreams are invalid.”   I know a person who spent their childhood being told that almost anything they said or thought was “nonsense”. Just as frequently, she was told what she thought didn’t matter because, she was “just a girl”. In this day and time, this type of treatment is considered completely outrageous. Back then it was tolerated in some circles. Many of us carry the scars of mental cruelty engendered by some of the harsher old fashioned attitudes. Now past the age of 50, this wonderful lady still hears the voice of her dead father condemning everything she decides to do. The damage was so intense that he reaches from beyond the grave and still attempts to exert his will over every action. His aim was to keep her under his thumb and maintain control over her entire life. He felt betrayed when she married, and interestingly enough she married someone who was almost the exact opposite of her father. Her husband actually BEL

Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic Champion   “Having achieved my own dreams, I want to give to kids who are less fortunate, who struggle with everyday obstacles. I want to give them something positive in their lives: support.”   After winning the gold in women’s singles figure skating in the 1992 Olympics and having an amazing amateur and pro career. Kristi Yamaguchi had lived her dreams.    She decided it was time to give back to the world by starting the Always Dream foundation.    From the Always Dream website:   Our Mission: To inspire underserved children to reach for their dreams through innovative reading programs and by advancing the cause of early childhood literacy. Our Always Reading literacy program combines technology with books to raise literacy skills, increase overall academic success and life potential. We also inspire children to “dream big” through engaging families with community events and serving as an advocate, highlighting the importance of early childhood literacy.    I have spoken before of

This first quote was supplied by my wife and love of my life, Dee Holbrook   Actress Maureen O’Hara   “Above all else, deep in my soul, I'm a tough Irishwoman.”   Some of my favorite classic movies had Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne in them. Ms. O’Hara’s characters always had a toughness, but were still able to maintain a ladylike feel.   I always admired this combination in her and other women I knew growing up, and am proud to say I married a wonderful woman with a similar disposition and bearing. In her quote, she clearly defines the self image she has, and her life bears this out. She is true to herself, and isn’t ashamed of it.   Do you have realistic image of yourself, or are you busy trying to hide from what you really are? Many people seem to be not only ashamed, but downright fearful of what they are deep in their hearts.    You can tell people who never look honestly at their core self. They are usually very pompous and pushy and use this mask to make sure nobody finds out how badly they feel about t

1st Lady of the United States, Martha Washington   “The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other about with us in our minds wherever we go.”   What kind of a mood are you in right now? Good, bad, ugly? Interestingly, your mood will help decide what kind of day you are having.   Our actions have to begin somewhere. The obvious is that you must think it before you can do it. Your state of mind as you contemplate action makes a tremendous impact on your ultimate decisions.   This is especially true when you are surprised and must act quickly. All of us have heard of the “fight or flight” response humans have when faced with sudden danger. Your emotional state at the time of the sudden surprise totally affects your choice of actions.   If you feel nothing is going to go right today, your state of mind could get you mugged in an alley, since that is just par for the course of the day.   A better choice would have be

Music Legend Paul Simon   “I was eating in a Chinese restaurant downtown. There was a dish called Mother and Child Reunion. It’s chicken and eggs. And I said, I gotta use that one.”   Have you ever looked down into your plate of food and gotten inspired?  Most people feel inspiration in a sunrise, the ocean, a storm, or some other mighty and grandiose thing. What about the small things?    I have mentioned in an earlier episode of Daggers Of The Mind that it seems most of us blaze through life oblivious to the amazing wealth of information flowing over us like a river. If we tune in to it, so much new knowledge and yes, inspiration could be available.   Daggers Of The Mind Episode 15   A quote from another song writer:   “Inspiration is hard to come by. You have to take it where you find it.”   Bob Dylan   My source of inspiration is not going to be the same as yours. Identifying what your source is, is vitally important. Once you find what it is, grab it, feed it, nurture it, and never let it go. Your inspir

I would like to thank Anthony Criner for bringing up this subject the other day, which prompted me to search for this quote.   President Theodore Roosevelt   “A man who is good enough to shed his blood for the country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.”   Have you ever noticed in the news how often the U.S. Government drops the ball when it comes to returning veterans?   We have a state-of-the-art life SAVING system, but then when the recuperation phase is entered, there is this sudden silence that only hears the echoes of the questions the veteran has about the future, usually with no reply at all from the government. If there is an answer, it is to say “wait, we have it all under control, but hey, we lost that form we asked you for again, would you please resubmit?”   The despair, anger, and helplessness our veterans feel is totally justified. Veterans who came back in one piece have regaled me with stories of going to the V.A. for a simple checkup and being postponed after they arrived an

This first quote was posted by my Aunt, Donna Gibson.   Maya Angelo, American author, poet, dancer, actress, and singer.   “Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.”   A couple of episodes ago, we spoke about hate using a quote from the Rev. Martin Luther King. Jr. He said that hate was such a heavy burden that he chose love instead.   The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Episode   That is a very good idea since most of the horrible things that have been committed in history are a result of irrational hate.    We are most familiar with hate crimes perpetrated against those who are not like our selves in some way. Race, religion, politics, and sexual orientation have been reasons given for committing atrocities on individuals and groups.   Not liking or condoning another’s lifestyle is totally fine. In a free society, it’s even OK to SAY you don’t like what they are doing. If you didn’t think the way you were living was right, you wouldn’t be living that way. Others on the ot

Both quotes on today’s show were posted by my mother, June Gibson  Holbrook who has been supporting Daggers Of The Mind in so many ways.  Thanks, Mom!   Thomas A. Edison, Inventor   “The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it  usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.”   You deserve a break today. Get the service you deserve. Advertising today  spends a lot of time telling you what you deserve even though you haven’t  done anything to earn it.   I remember some friends who were a few years younger than my wife and  myself who spent all their time saying if someone would give them a  chance like we got life would be great.   First of all, the chances we got happened at the point that we earned  them. When we bought a house, it was because we had waited long enough  and our finances were in order to do it.    When they reached a similar age and financial status, they bought a house  too. Then it all went south. He got fired from a couple of great jobs,  then they di