Common-Sense For Sales

100 Summer Movies To Watch

It is summer and in most places around the country school is out and those lazy days of summer are here.  If you are like me, you love to watch the old classic movies that are seen as the best ever made.

Below is a list of the top 100 US movies of all time.  You have about 100 days in the summer.  So why not set a goal to watch one of these classics each night this summer?  Invite special friends over to watch with you, watch by yourself, have your kids join you in this journey and they will learn something even though they are not in school.  When you are finished and it is September you will have the feeling of accomplishment and the knowledge that you have seen the best stories that Hollywood has ever produced.

Set a goal and start your journey! That is what I am doing.

AFI TOP 100 U.S. FILMS

1. "Citizen Kane," 1941.
2. "The Godfather," 1972.
3. "Casablanca," 1942.
4. "Raging Bull," 1980.
5. "Singin' in the Rain," 1952.
6. "Gone With the Wind," 1939.
7. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962.
8. "Schindler's List," 1993.
9. "Vertigo," 1958.
10. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.
11. "City Lights," 1931.
12. "The Searchers," 1956.
13. "Star Wars," 1977.
14. "Psycho," 1960.
15. "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968.
16. "Sunset Blvd.", 1950.
17. "The Graduate," 1967.
18. "The General," 1927.
19. "On the Waterfront," 1954.
20. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946.
21. "Chinatown," 1974.
22. "Some Like It Hot," 1959.
23. "The Grapes of Wrath," 1940.
24. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.
25. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962.
26. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939.
27. "High Noon," 1952.
28. "All About Eve," 1950.
29. "Double Indemnity," 1944.
30. "Apocalypse Now," 1979.
31. "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.
32. "The Godfather Part II," 1974.
33. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975.
34. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.
35. "Annie Hall," 1977.
36. "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957.
37. "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946.
38. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948.
39. "Dr. Strangelove," 1964.
40. "The Sound of Music," 1965.
41. "King Kong," 1933.
42. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.
43. "Midnight Cowboy," 1969.
44. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940.
45. "Shane," 1953.
46. "It Happened One Night," 1934.
47. "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.
48. "Rear Window," 1954.
49. "Intolerance," 1916.
50. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001.
51. "West Side Story," 1961.
52. "Taxi Driver," 1976.
53. "The Deer Hunter," 1978.
54. "M-A-S-H," 1970.
55. "North by Northwest," 1959.
56. "Jaws," 1975.
57. "Rocky," 1976.
58. "The Gold Rush," 1925.
59. "Nashville," 1975.
60. "Duck Soup," 1933.
61. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941.
62. "American Graffiti," 1973.
63. "Cabaret," 1972.
64. "Network," 1976.
65. "The African Queen," 1951.
66. "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1981.
67. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", 1966.
68. "Unforgiven," 1992.
69. "Tootsie," 1982.
70. "A Clockwork Orange," 1971.
71. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998.
72. "The Shawshank Redemption," 1994.
73. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.
74. "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991.
75. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967.
76. "Forrest Gump," 1994.
77. "All the President's Men," 1976.
78. "Modern Times," 1936.
79. "The Wild Bunch," 1969.
80. "The Apartment, 1960.
81. "Spartacus," 1960.
82. "Sunrise," 1927.
83. "Titanic," 1997.
84. "Easy Rider," 1969.
85. "A Night at the Opera," 1935.
86. "Platoon," 1986.
87. "12 Angry Men," 1957.
88. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938.
89. "The Sixth Sense," 1999.
90. "Swing Time," 1936.
91. "Sophie's Choice," 1982.
92. "Goodfellas," 1990.
93. "The French Connection," 1971.
94. "Pulp Fiction," 1994.
95. "The Last Picture Show," 1971.
96. "Do the Right Thing," 1989.
97. "Blade Runner," 1982.
98. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.
99. "Toy Story," 1995.
100. "Ben-Hur," 1959.

You Might Be a Workaholic If...

Some Signs You Might Need to Pull Back on Work

By TORY JOHNSON
June 14, 2007

It's a frequently asked question: Do we live to work, or work to live?

A growing number of Americans are finding that they live for work, and some of them are popping up at Workaholics Anonymous meetings nationwide.

Unlike people who simply work very hard, which quite frankly is most of us, workaholics never punch out. They always feel like they are on the clock, 24/7, physically, mentally and emotionally working.

They are more genuinely enthusiastic about work than anything else in their lives, even family and friends. There's nothing that person would rather be doing than working.

And we're not just talking about Fortune 500 executives; nurses and construction workers, among others, attend Workaholics Anonymous meetings to try to kick the habit.

What Are the Trouble Signs?

If you're a workaholic, you can't stop thinking about work. Work issues distract you from relationships and those thoughts speed through your mind as you lie in bed at night. A part of you is always longing to get back to work. Nothing — not eating, socializing, sleeping — is as satisfying.

Here's a good way to think of it: An ordinary hard worker will be on the job, thinking about shopping with friends. A workaholic will be out shopping with friends, but will be thinking nonstop about work.

Workaholics are very controlling. They can't delegate and are not usually interested in being team players. They are perfectionists and nothing is ever good enough for them. Workaholics would rather handle everything themselves, which doesn't always produce the necessary results because often we need the input and help of others.

A workaholic also has a troubled personal life. Typically workaholics don't have many friends or hobbies. Their personal relationships are in disarray. They have difficulty with intimacy because work is always on their minds. And of course, there is a ripple effect in the families of workaholics.

Research done by the University of North Carolina found that couples in a workaholic marriage tended to have twice the divorce rate as those who were in nonworkaholic marriages. We know that all marriages take work, but that's not the type of work that a workaholic wants to focus on.

Further, there is the effect on the children. Research has also found that children of workaholics have a higher rate of depression and anxiety mainly because that workaholic parent has placed severely high expectations on his or her kids, which links back to that desire for perfection.

And there are health concerns for workaholics, caused by the extreme levels of stress they suffer. They often eat poorly, don't exercise, and in short, they take poor care of their physical and emotional well being.

Solutions to Kick the Habit

Like any addiction, it's challenging to kick and the person needs a support system to help. First, a workaholic must recognize and admit the problem.

Take this quick personal survey: Ask yourself, on a scale of one to five — five being truly satisfied — how you'd rate your satisfaction and happiness in each of these key areas of your personal life: Your family? Your friendships? Your health? Your hobbies? Your spirituality?

If your total is not 12 or more points, you have to take a hard look at yourself. It's probably time to reconsider your priorities and to replace some of your work time with life time.

On its Web site, Workaholics Anonymous suggests 20 questions to ask yourself to determine whether you may be a workaholic. Among them:

Do you take work with you to bed, on weekends and/or on vacation?

Is work the activity you like to do best and talk about most?

Have your family or friends given up expecting you on time?

Do you get impatient with people who have other priorities besides work?

Have your long hours hurt your family or other relationships?

Do you think about your work while driving, falling asleep or when others are talking?

Answering yes to one or two might not be the sign of an addiction, but a pattern of yes to three or more of these questions might mean it's time to make changes. But of course, with all addiction, making those changes is easier said than done.

Make time to relax. Since workaholics are so detail oriented and focused, they should schedule time off to relax and play. Use this time to find new ways to find happiness and approval and satisfaction outside of work. Look for other benchmarks to measure your overall well-being such as achieving fulfilling personal relationships -- being a terrific, reliable partner, parent, and/or friend -- or even trying a new hobby that offers a complete diversion from work.

Learn to delegate. Recognize that none of us can be successful or productive at work on our own. This is hard for these perfectionists, so they can start small, such as sharing small tasks with co-workers to start whether it's folding shirts in a retail store or managing the office staff. Slowly, the workaholic can see that he or she can begin to let go and still get the job done.

Additional resources:

"Chained to the Desk: A Guidebook for Workaholics, Their Partners and Children, and the Clinicians Who Treat Them," by therapist Bryan Robinson

Workaholics Anonymous Web site: www.workaholics-anonymous.org

Tory Johnson is the workplace contributor on "Good Morning America" and the CEO of Women for Hire. Connect with her at www.womenforhire.com.

It's time for some summer fun :)

* I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
* Police were called to a daycare where a three-year-old was resisting a
rest.
* Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all
right now.
* The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.
* To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
* When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.
* A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
* A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened
criminal.
* Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with stalking.
* We'll never run out of math teachers because they always multiply.
* When the smog lifts in Los Angeles , U C L A.
* The math professor went crazy with the blackboard. He did a number
on it.
* The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky
ground.
* The dead batteries were given out free of charge.
* If you take a laptop computer for a run you could jog your memory.
* A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.
* A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
* The optometrist fell into his lens grinder and made a spectacle of
himself.
* Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
* A backward poet writes inverse.
* In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count
that votes.
* A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
* With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
* Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat
miner.
* When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
* The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
* A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France , resulted in Linoleum
Blownapart.
* You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
* He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
* A boiled egg is hard to beat.
* He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
* His parents thought he was a budding genius, but he turned out to be
a blooming idiot.
* A plateau is a high form of flattery.
* Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
* When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
* When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
* Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
* Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.

Many salespeople find work and life balance is increasingly difficult

Summer is here and many of my clients are finding work and life balance is increasingly difficult as they plan vacations.  I am always amazed at how many people I know don't take more than a few days off.  Whether you're trying to get a promotion or clocking as much overtime as possible so that you can give your kids the finer things, there's just no substitute for hard work. Yet and still, somethings gotta give... and when we're worn out, there's a limit to what we can achieve.

I saw this article on line and thought it addresses the issue nicely.

There are two workplace issues that prevent most Americans from taking much-needed time away: stress and concern about job security.

Not only are Americans stressed out while they're at work, they take that anxiety with them when they finally get away. Thirty percent of workers say that they struggle with work stress while out of the office.

Taking Time off Can Ease Stress, but Americans Don't Take Enough of It

According to an Expedia.com survey, 35 percent, or an estimated 51.2 million Americans, will not use all of their vacation days this year. In fact, they'll leave an average of three vacation days on the table, which calculates to U.S. employed adults giving back a total of more than 438 million vacation days in 2007 alone.

Some workers use their vacation days to take care of important personal and family obligations -- everything from doctor's appointments to caring for older relatives -- which isn't relaxing at all.

Others worry about job security. It's the fear of out of sight, out of mind: "What if I go away and they don't miss me? I don't want to take that risk, so I'll just stay here."

And many workers justify that line of thinking by saying they'll save money or that they couldn't really have afforded a vacation anyway.

Companies to Workers: Take a Break! But now, employers want their workers to take their vacations because they recognize that everyone has to relax and recharge. Running people ragged and draining them isn't a good thing.

Some companies have policies that force people to take their vacations. At the corporate offices of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, staffers receive five weeks of paid vacation at two years of service on one condition: They must take two consecutive weeks off to recharge. CEO Brian Scudamore says the "extra vacation time helps prevent burnout, which can lead to losing employees -- a very high price to pay."

At Xerox, employees are offered the option of purchasing an extra week of vacation if they desire more time off.

There's a real dollars-and-cents logic behind such policies: Studies have found that the total health and productivity cost of worker stress to American business could be as high as $150 billion a year. Not only that, but taking vacation -- at least a full week of interrupted time off, not merely a long weekend -- even reduces the risk of heart attack and illness, which to an employer means fewer sick days taken.

To minimize some of the stress of leaving the office, here are some simple steps workers can take to sail off with peace of mind:

Designate a backup. First, designate a colleague who will answer any questions about your projects while you're away. Brief that person on your projects, where your files are kept and so on. Make sure you offer to do the same while your backup goes on vacation. This buddy system will keep your in-box under control while you're away.

Change voice mail and e-mail greetings. Next, change greetings on your phone and e-mail accounts to indicate you will be out of touch. It's bad business not to return calls, but if you let clients know you're away and who to contact in your absence, they won't feel ignored. And just as important, it will save you from getting scores of messages to handle upon your return.

Give contact information to one person. And give your contact information to just one person. Let him or her funnel only the most important requests and questions to you if necessary. The whole office shouldn't feel entitled to call you on a whim.

Set limits on work. There are some people, me included, who find being totally out of touch very stressful. Yet I know that my constantly checking in drives my family crazy. So you must set limits on that contact. Make a commitment to yourself, your boss and your family to check in a limited amount -- once a day, for example. Or if you have to bring work with you, limit the amount of time you spend on it -- an hour a day, tops. And stick to it.

The bottom line is that the American work force should think of vacation not as a luxury but as a necessity. A Boston College study found that employees who took a greater number of vacation days to just relax and enjoy themselves felt less overwhelmed when they returned to work. Even after taking their longest vacation break of the year, that dread of coming back to a pile of work seems to disappear. Just like a good night's sleep refreshes you for the next day, a relaxing vacation rejuvenates you for going back to work.

Tory Johnson is the Workplace Contributor on Good Morning America and the CEO of Women For Hire. Connect with her at www.womenforhire.com.

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