New Thing 329, New Thing Every Day: Hold the first HerTomorrow Silver Event

I think we are changing the name, but HerTomorrow Silver is the HerTomorrow event that focuses on the lives of women over 50. Anyone can attend, but the speakers fit that demographic and, of course, they speak from that perspective. Unlike our big events, this one was a mini-event, lasting 90 minutes instead of four hours.

It really was a great event, hosted by Americare's Mill Creek Village (a senior living facility). We had three speakers -- Carolyn Paris, Muriel Battle Browder, and Ann Merrifield. All three were so great, carrying on the tradition that HerTomorrow is building.

I am not 100% sure what we will call it, but we will absolutely continue having HerTomorrow Silver events.

New Thing 328, New Thing Every Day: Attend a 90+ Birthday

I am honestly a little embarrassed that today was my first time for this New Thing because one of my grandmothers lived to 99, but somehow it just never happened. Today, I was invited to celebrate the life of the incomparable Dorothy Sullivan, mom of my friend Carolyn Sullivan. I had to get to class, so I did not get to stay long, but I was able to see Dorothy blow out the candles (a nine candle and a two candle) and then I hit the road.

Happy birthday Dorothy Sullivan!

New Thing 327, New Thing Every Day: Accept a Job as General Manager of KOPN

Yep. I did it, and I am pretty excited about it.

Since my background is not running radio stations, some may wonder why this makes sense for me. If you think about it, though, the move makes perfect sense and is totally in line with my skills, experience, mission, and values. I am a builder of new programs, businesses, and organizations; I am a community volunteer; and I like to think of myself as someone who brings people together. These are the things I think KOPN needs right now.

KOPN is a wonderful example of community radio, and it is so much more than the actual station. There is a school of thought that community radio is about building a community organization that impacts and benefits the community in a wide range of ways. The station is the foundation, it is the heart, and it is just the beginning. There is much work to be done -- the best part, if you ask me -- and KOPN can play a central role in helping Columbia be what we all know it can be. KOPN can bring us together; it can expose us to new ideas, cultures, and ways of life; and it can channel our collective energies in ways that will benefit those who most need their community to come through for them..

Today is the first day in a new and incredible journey for me, for KOPN, and I hope for our entire community.

Please join us.

New Thing 326, New Thing Every Day: Turn 47-Years-Old

There is probably not a whole lot to say about today's New Thing Every Day. This has been an incredible year and I am nearing the end of my best decade, yet. Also, I am so excited about the coming year, and pretty soon to getting to my fifties, which I believe are going to be fantastic.

I hope your day and year are even better than mine, and that all of your dreams come true.

New Thing 325, New Thing Every Day: Finish Posting a Full Year of #HappierByChoice Thoughts

Exactly one year ago, I started posting an original #HappierByChoice thought every day (maybe a few have been posted late, but maybe not). Mostly, I think the reason I started doing it is part of my incessant need to share what is on my mind pretty much every second of every day; hopefully, part of it was also because I thought someone else might find it helpful. That is definitely why I keep doing it. Selfishly, spending time thinking of happy thoughts to share absolutely helps to positively shape the way I view the world; maybe it is also helping someone else.

Occasionally, someone asks me where I get my "quotes", but I am not a big sharer of what famous/historical people say, so my rule is that I try to be as original as I possibly can. Of course, any number of the thoughts can probably be found somewhere else, but I do my best. In the early days, I just kept track of thoughts as I had them. Then, a few months ago I realized I had a pretty good stockpile and that I might actually be able to continue the project for a few years or more. So I started spending time every weekend, adding at least 14 new posts, so that every week I would have a 100% or more net gain over the number I had posted that week, constantly growing the list.

Today, I have a few over 15 months worth of posts ready to go. Working on them a little every day is making a big difference in my attitude and in my level of happiness. Really, the activity is shaping the way I think and view the world, just a little bit, and is maybe even helping me be a better person. Hopefully it is playing the tiniest role in doing the same for others.

New Thing 324, New Thing Every Day: Get the Waze App on My Phone

I have been hearing about Waze for several years and have finally put it on my phone. In case you are not familiar with Waze, it is an app that helps plan a travel route. The difference is that it collects information from users so you can know about things such as traffic, road construction, and speed traps. I poked around a bit and look forward to using it, and I should have a good opportunity in the next few months, when I should be taking a trip or two.

New Thing 323 New Thing Every Day: Lose Weight the Day After Thanksgiving

I feel pretty confident in saying that -- in 46 years --  had never lost weight the day after Thanksgiving, until today. We had a delicious meal of turkey, cauliflower puree, sweet potato casserole, and roasted vegetables -- and I lost 0.4 pounds between yesterday and this morning. Yes, I desperately missed both stuffing and dessert, but it was a great meal and I am feeling pretty good on all levels.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

New Thing 322, New Thing Every Day: Eat Thanksgiving Dinner Following The Wahls Protocol Diet

As you may know, I follow The Wahls Protocol, an extremely strict diet related to my MS (not for weight loss, although that is a nice side effect). There's other stuff, but key aspects include no gluten, dairy, grain, or sweetener of any kind (like, not even fruit). So you miught guess that this led to a very different meal than what I have had every year for the last 46 years or so.

We gave it a lot of thought, and here is what we had (there were a few things not on this list, but I did not have them).

• roasted turkey
• sweet potato casserole
• roasted vegetables
• cauliflower puree
• sparkling water

Normally, I would have had some sort of green salad, but that just did not happen.

Really, it was a delicious meal and I did not feel deprived. Yes, I would have loved to have had oyster stuffing, rolls, and two or three desserts, but that just is not my life anymore

New Thing 321, New Thing Every Day: Eat Pureed Beets

Leigh and I had to run to Chesterfield and back today, so on the return we grabbed dinners at a European restaurant named Ya Ya's Euro Bistro. The food was tasty and one my main course (seared Ahi tuna) was garnished with beet puree. It was really good -- if you like beets -- and went well with the tuna. I wish there had been more of it.

New Thing 320, New Thing Every Day: Visit Somebody in Jail

As you may remember, I tried to visit two weeks ago, but my friend already had visitors. On my friend Marie Hunter's suggestion, I wrote him a letter, and then got one back from him today. Among other things, he asked me to try to visit again, and today is his one day, so I went over the Boone County Jail at 7:30, giving it a shot.

It worked out this time and we visited for the one-hour limit. Out of respect, I am not going to go into detail, but it was interesting and emotional and a very unique experience for me. Moving forward, I am going to try to write to him every week or so, and visit at least once or twice more. I hope someone would do the same thing for me.

New Thing 319, New Thing Every Day: Do 50 Push-Ups

Actually, I did 51 (because, you know, 50 is SO overdone).  : )

This is the last of my exercise firsts for the year (having reached my limit in wheelchair laps at the park and 100 crunches). I am hoping that I hit a weight-loss of 50 pounds for the year, but I am just doing what I already do to get there, and not exercising more or eating less or anything like that.

So, I am feeling good about my plan to get in shape. I really am in the best shape of my life, at this point, and am hoping to do a lot better. I want to get exactly where I want to be by the end of the first or second quarter of next year, and then I am mostly going to try to maintain for the rest of my life (of course, even as I write this, I am reminded that very little stays the same -- things mostly either get better or get worse). We'll see how it goes.

New Thing 318, New Thing Every Day: Read Pat Conroy's "The Great Santini"

This is totally weird because Pat Conroy is one of my two favorite authors (along with John Steinbeck). In fact, for years I have been telling people I had read it and even believed that I had. But it turns out I had just seen the movie and somehow had never read the book. Fortunately, my friend Ellis Benus bought me a copy -- a first edition -- and one day I decided it was time to read it "again".

So, now I have read it, and loved it. If you haven't, you should go read it yourself.

Thanks, Ellis!

New Thing 317, New Thing Every Day: Get WhatsApp on My Phone

From Wikipedia -- WhatsApp Messenger is a freeware and cross-platform instant messaging and Voice over IP service. The application allows the sending of text messages and voice calls, as well as video calls, images and other media, documents, and user location.

Whatsapp is a big deal. with millions of users. so I finally decided to try it. Maybe I am wasting my tim4?

New Thing 316, New Thing Every Day: Have My Last Day at BBB

[Did it yesterday; posted today.]

For the last two years, I have been regional director for BBB and have absolutely loved it. Really, it has been a great job that really made sense for me. Just as important, I am a true believer in the BBB mission -- building trust in the business community -- and it has been an honor to be the voice of BBB in Mid-Missouri.

It was time to go, though, and I am very excited about other work. Right now, I am focused on a few different projects -- national expansion of HerTomorrow, launching a veterans entrepreneurship center, and a few other things -- and looking at job-jobs. There are some incredibly exciting things on the horizon and I feel pretty sure that 2018 is going to be my best year yet, in every way.

New Thing 315, New Thing Every Day: Get a Car Detailed

With tomorrow being my last day at BBB, I have to get the BBBmobile ready to give back to them (oh, how I have loved that little car!). Leigh said the only place I should go is Gaines Detailing, so I called. They had me drop off the car this morning, then gave me a ride back to my house. When it was ready at the end of the day, they actually drove it back to me.

Now, the car is beautiful and I absolutely recommend Gaines.

New Thing 314, New Thing Every Day: E-mail Top Angel Investor Jason Calacanis an Idea I Have

Something I learned years ago is that it really is surprising, the number of super high-profile people who will respond to an e-mail or letter. Over the years, I have received substantive responses -- and even one major business deal -- from various pretty famous people. It has been a great reminder that there is no harm in asking, and asking can often lead to getting.

Here is the message I sent (subject line: "your next billion-dollar syndicate"):
Jason,

I have been thinking through an idea for a new syndicate that would give you access to maybe a billion or more dollars and hundreds of new deals that many of your angel competitors will never see.

Want to chat about it?

Give me three minutes on the phone (so I know it is really you) and I will share the idea. I hope you will want me to help you do it, but that will be up to you.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

- sean

I'll let you know if it goes anywhere.

New Thing 313, New Thing Every Day: Take Don Laird to Lunch

[Did it yesterday; posted today.]

Don Laird is a great guy whom I have known for a long time, but we have never just sat down for lunch and hung out. Don was president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce for many years; he is also a veteran and I learned a bunch of interesting things about that. I do not often include lunch with someone new as my New Thing, but this one definitely makes the cut.

New Thing 312, New Thing Every Day: Get Electric Shock Treatments to My Muscles

[Did it yesterday. Posted it today.]

Alright, this was totally weird, and I do not mind telling you that I was a little scared to do it. A relatively new treatment for all sorts of muscle-related issues -- MS, in my case -- is to apply electric current directly to the muscles, causing them to contract. The result is basically involuntary exercise, and it can help your muscles in the same way, building them up to a small extent, and exercising the neural pathways.

What they do is put a couple of patches on the targeted muscles -- various leg muscles, for me -- and then start the current. The machine my physical therapist was using could go up to 100 amps, and he stopped at 87 for me. He kept saying to let him know if it was too much, but I told him it would have to be pretty bad for me to complain, and that he was probably going to have to decide if he was giving me too much. That ended up being the case. At the 87 amps, he gave me six minutes per muscle, alternating for 10 seconds each, between legs. He gave me fewer amps for one muscle group because it was behaving in a way he did not like -- severely contracting and lifting my leg off the table.

The experience was not really painful, just uncomfortable, but totally bearable. I suspect I am going to start doing it on a regular basis.

New Thing 311, New Thing Every Day: Send a Letter to Someone I Know in Jail

This is a little bit of a technicality because I have known two people in federal prison (politicians) and mailed both of them, but I also kind of feel like jail is different. As you may have seen, I tried to visit this friend on Tuesday, but he already had someone with him (Boone County allows just one visitor each week).

When I posted last week about the visit attempt, my friend Marie Hunter suggested that I write a letter, so that is what I have done. As you might guess, I am not going to share most of it, but I did let him know that really do not know anything about his charges and that I am making myself available to the extent that he needs a friend. Someone is going to read this and think this is the wrong thing to do, that I am supporting bad behavior, but I think it is just being human. People do bad things, and mostly I do not think this makes them 100% bad people. In this case, I feel like I am doing the compassionate thing, without supporting bad behavior.

We will see where it goes.

New Thing 310, New Thing Every Day: Try a Wagyu Steak

[Did this yesterday. Posted Today.]

Leigh and I went to CC's City Broiler for a little date last night and their specials were a few different wagyu cuts of steak. I had the ribeye, medium. Yes, it was totally delicious, and now I get why it is considered such a delicacy.

New Thing 309, New Thing Every Day: Buy a Car in Another City, Found on the Internet

[Did this yesterday; posted today.]

It has been over 10 years since I bought a car, and I am not sure it was even possible to buy one over the Internet then. This time, I searched with several sites for cars within 150 miles and found one I really liked, at the price we wanted, in Sedalia. Bizarrely, I was actually scheduled to spend the day speaking at a conference in Sedalia yesterday -- I basically never go there -- so I went to the dealership when I was done, bought the car, and a couple of their guys followed me home to deliver it.

The car is a 2015 Toyota RAV4 Limited (the first foreign car I have ever bought, after years of refusing -- yes, I have accepted globalism). Except for the convertible Mustang GT I had for years, it is absolutely the nicest car I have ever owned and I am pretty excited about it.

New Thing 308, New Thing Every Day: Try to Visit Someone in Jail

A guy I know in town is in jail; he has been in for over a month and has at least a few weeks to go. We are friendly and see each other from time to time, but we are not really friends. What he is accused of doing is pretty bad and I can't for a second dismiss it. That said, you might think it is weird that I would try to visit him, and it probably was. I struggled over it, but I thought about how I might feel if I was in jail -- deservedly or not -- and I decided that visiting, offering a little human kindness, was the right thing to do.

Well, in the end, all of the thought and soul searching did not really matter. The way it works is that inmates get just one visiting day each week (based on their last name, alphabetized), and they get just one visitor on that day. On top of that, it is very difficult to communicate with inmates and basically impossible to coordinate visitation (or even make sure it is wanted).

Tonight, I went to Boone County Jail to visit, but someone was already there with him. It was not super surprising, and I bet it happens every week (at least I hope it does, for his sake).

Moving forward, I am going to just take it as a sign and let the situation lie.

New Thing 307, New Thing Every Day: Do 100 Crunches

In my entire life, I have never done 100 crunches -- not at once, not even over the course of an entire day. I did it this morning, though, and will do it as part of every workout for the at least the rest of the year. Admittedly, they were crappy crunches, but now that I have done them, I can focus on form and getting better.

By the way, yes, I realize that there might be better exercises for me to do or better ways to do the crunches, but this is what I am doing for now. Next year, I will revisit my entire workout and likely make significant adjustments.

New Thing 306, New Thing Every Day: Take a Leave of Absence from Rotary

I have been a relatively active member of Rotary for the better part of 17 years. My dad was a member for 20 years. One of my brothers is still a member and has been for over 30 years -- he has been president of his club and is on the path to being governor for the Orlando district (a pretty big one). It is obviously an important family tradition and it has been very important to me over many years, but it is time to take  break. Over 2018, I am launching two national programs and trying to do a variety of other things, and I just have to let something go. Sadly, Rotary is it, and I am officially taking a leave of absence. Hopefully, I will rejoin and make an even bigger contribution after 2018.

New Thing 305, New Thing Every Day: Go to my Aunt Charlotte's Celebration of Life

Aunt Charlotte, surrounded by three incredible women from my family.

My Aunt Charlotte died at 97 and today was her memorial service/celebration of life. Aside from honoring my aunt -- the very last of that generation in my family -- today was a great chance to reconnect with many in my family that I do not often get to see. It would have made my aunt very happy to have brought us all together

New Thing 304, New Thing Every Day: Create an Avatar of Myself

I tried a couple of different free services and one of the things I learned is that non of them are very good. This, apparently is me; maybe after I lose another 30 pounds.

New Thing 303, New Thing Every Day: Visit "Awkward Family Photos" Website

There is just something so wrong, and so right, about this site.

New Thing 302, New Thing Every Day: Attend the Grand Opening of Boys & Girls Clubs New Facility

The thing I like about the Boys & Girls Club in Columbia is that it was not so long ago that it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Today, they are serving thousands more kinds every year, from new facilities, following more than one massive capital campaign that would have been impossible not so long ago. The new facility is around 10,000 square feet and is absolutely beautiful. I was very proud to be there for this important moment for our community.