Author: Staff

  • Art Fettig’s Newsletter – December 14, 2009

    Art Fettig’s Monday Morning Memo

    December 14, 2009

    In This Issue

    o  I Love A Parade
    o Say Something Good
    o Points To Ponder
    o A Little Humor
    o Quote of the Week

    Art Fettig
    Art Fettig laughing while sitting in his “borrowed” Lamborghini – The seat is almost on the floor…

    I Love A Parade

    No, I didn’t ride in that beautiful red Lamborghini.  The seat is almost on the floor of that beautiful car and I figured it would take a crane at least to get me out of it. One strong man managed the job. Instead. I rode in the annual Mt. Airy, NC Christmas parade in a 1938 Chevrolet coupe and it was a real thrill. The sign on our vehicle read, “Almost  Andy…Art Fettig” I couldn’t resist the temptation to get out and walk and I must have walked half way from here to eternity before the parade was over. My new business card reads, “Almost Andy,  Close enough for most.”  No matter how many times I told greeters that I was not Andy Griffith the more they went right on telling me how they loved the TV show and how they had seen every program. Some families told how they taped the program every day and watched it at 5 PM every day as a family. At least a dozen individuals told me how happy they were to finally have an Andy Griffith look-alike that really looked like Andy. I hope I didn’t deceive anyone unintentionally.

    Seeing all of those smiling faces I hope that I brought a little joy into the lives of those hundreds of people watching the parade. Meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus was the most fun of all.  It’s great to be eighty and I sure do love a parade. I do. 

    Say Something Good

    Meetings. Attending the Trade Show of the AENC this week at the fabulous new Raleigh Convention Center, I met with perhaps a couple of hundred people who are involved in creating Association meetings that make a difference in their particular field. It started me thinking about the conferences and conventions I had attended in my earlier career. The first one was in Texas and I had won an Assoc. of American Railroad’s Award for an article I had written. My wife and I were treated almost like celebrities and somehow it made all of that extra work I had done in writing such articles worthwhile. My horizons expanded all the way from Michigan to Texas. I learned more attending sessions at that meeting than I had learned in my entire career as a claim agent for the railroad. It was like being exposed to a big, new, wonderful world.  I know, like me, you have attended far too many disorganized, unprepared meetings than one should endure in one’s lifetime, still, it was exciting to be exposed to all of these wonderful people who are so totally dedicated to make their meetings and conventions really have a positive impact on their attendees and their profession..  May God bless America and keep our troops from harm. 

    Points To Ponder

    The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving. Albert Einstein

    A Little Humor 

    A guy walks into a bar, orders 12 shots and starts drinking them as fast as he can. The bartender asks, “Dang, why are you drinking so fast?” The guy says, “You would be drinking fast, too, if you had what I had.”
    The bartender asks, “What do you have?” The guy says, “75 cents.”

    Quote of the Week

    As soon as we attract enough attention in the world to play a part in it, we are set rolling like a ball which will never again be at rest. Charles Joseph
     

  • Children’s Sermons by Art Fettig

    When I was a kid we never had children’s sermons in church. The only sermons we got as kids was “Keep quiet and stop wiggling.” Perhaps that is why I accept the challenge to deliver a children’s sermon a few times each year. I work harder on those little sermons than anything else I do. I have always felt this need to speak to everyone in a room so that they get a personal message. In business situations I wanted to reach the workers and also management and somehow get them closer to one another. I guess that I still feel that way in church and I want my message to be received by the children but I guess that subconsciously, I am trying to deliver a message to the entire congregation. Last Sunday I talked about my list of ten reasons that I was thankful. It went OK but now as I look back at it I realize that there was a third audience I was trying to reach and that was myself. I too needed reminding what a wonderful life I live here in America with so many freedoms to enjoy. May God bless America and keep our troops from harm. 1

  • Art Fettig’s Newsletter – November 16, 2009

    Art Fettig’s Monday Morning Memo
    November 16, 2009
    800-441-7676 or 919-732-6994
    artfettig@aol.com 
     
    In This Issue
    o  Books
    o Say Something Good
    o Visit Our Website
    o Points To Ponder
    o A Little Humor
    o Quote of the Week
    o To Subscribe
     
    Books

    Books by Art Fettig

    I’m in here at my computer early this morning so that I can send it off and get over to the library book sale in Chapel Hill. I had to promise my wife that for every book I brought home today I would get rid of at least one book from my office. Books are my addiction.  I don’t think I had a half a dozen books around other than school books for the first twenty years of my life. When I was twenty two I was wounded in Korea and we moved on to Hokkaido, Japan and I hurt my leg taking ski training and as my leg was healing I would stumble across  the street from my barracks and spend my time in the library across the way. Mostly I enjoyed the biography section. When I was learning to become a claim agent with the railroad I began to read books about behavior; why people bought things and how the creative mind works.  I discovered Alex Osborne and the topic of creative thinking. For many, many years I have gone through a book a week and the topics are as varied at those wet leaves that have piled up all around our home in the woods.

    I’m sure you have heard the expression “Readers are leaders.”  Well all I can say is that most of what I have learned has come from the books I bought or borrowed. I’ve done my learning my way and it has been a joyous venture.
     
    This week I learned that my new novel, The Old May and the CD won the NABE 2009 Pinnacle Book Achievement  Award for best book in the category of Novel for which I am most grateful. I might truly be a slow learner but I keep on striving. . 
     
    Say Something Good
    Veterans Day.  President Obama spoke to the troops in Alaska this week and he said something to the effect that he would not send our troops into action without the support of our people. Sounds great in a speech but for far too long here in America we have been doing just that.  When I was in Korea the war did not have the support of the American people.  In fact, most of them didn’t even know it was going on. Same with Viet Nam.  For a number of years that war did not have the support of the American people. This current mess in Iraq and in Afghanistan has lost the support of many Americans and I have this sad feeling that we are sending troops who do not want to go to a place where they are not welcome at great expense to the American taxpayer with money we do not have backing up corrupt leaders there for only God knows why.  Oops, I am supposed to say something good in this column and I got sidetracked.  I took my Almost Andy character to the Durham Veterans Hospital this week and gave a show for patients there.  They were great and they laughed and they applauded in all of the right places and then they thanked me personally for visiting them. Everyone of them said “Thank you.” Of course, I thanked them from the bottom of my heart for everything.  It is hell fighting in a war that is not supported by the American people.  I pray that God will bless America and bring our troops home safely. 
     
    Visit Our Website
    Learn about our sensational new 101 Kit that allows you to save thousands on speaker and travel fees and implement our fantastic employee positive interaction 101 program yourself.  It is an instant behavior modification commitment program that gets everyone in your organization involved in safety. Remember, you have a ten day money back guarantee too.  Act now!  and we will include my comprehensive 420 page book Winning the Safety Commitment as a bonus. Go directly to www.artfettig.com and get your safety program cranked up to a whole new level of performance. If you have questions just call me at 800 441 7676 or e-mail me at artfettig@aol.com.  
     
    Points To Ponder
    The reason most major goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first. Robert K. McKain
     
    A Little Humor  
    Why do tug boats push their barges?  For the same reason that we sing “Take me out to the ball game” when were already there. 
     
    Quote of the Week 
    There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.   Niccolo Machiavelli

    To Subscribe
    Subscribe and unsubscribe information at www.artfettig.com

  • Pain Relieving Foods that help with Inflammation and Aches

    These foods contain compounds that reduce inflammation, similar to ibuprofen.

    According to Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff, the following foods can provide some anti-inflammation and pain relief.

    • Black or Green Tea – Rutgers University research.
    • Soybeans and Tofu – The Nutrition Journal
    • Salmon and Tuna – University of California, Los Angeles – May Udani, MD.
    • Turmeric – Anti-inflammatory compound called curcumin.
    • Cherries and Berries – University of Vermont study – Declan Connolly, PhD.

    Reference:

  • A Whole New Look

    Art Fettig’s Monday Morning Memo
    November 9, 2009
     
    In This Issue
    o  A Whole New Look
    o Say Something Good
    o Visit Our Website
    o Points To Ponder
    o A Little Humor
    o Quote of the Week

    A Whole New Look
    Did you ever go to describe something to somebody and as you did so you got a whole new look at what you were describing?  That happened to me the other day when I had breakfast with a booking agent. We were discussing my new character “Almost Andy” and he asked me what I had been up to before this. I was describing what I had been doing for the past thirty plus years in the Safety field.  I said this, “Through the mixture of humor, enthusiasm, pathos, logic, a smattering of patriotism, plus just good common sense I had learned how to go into an organization and in the span of a one hour presentation to win a personal signed commitment to positive interaction from everyone in that organization and with the demonstration of my 101 hand signal I make it possible for everyone to interact in a positive manner by just bending their index finger.

    “Does it do any good?” He asked. And I explained how it had turned whole organizations around including those in the automotive, petrol, power, construction and at some locations, even our armed forces. And further I told him that many organizations had done this simply using a video of this presentation. 

    Then something else happened this week. I talked with a lady with a firm I had made a presentation for in 1991. They taped my presentation and each year they show that video to every employee and make a recommitment to safety and each year they distribute two of my booklets to each worker. With my permission, this year they translated the booklets into Spanish and they are distributing booklets to every employee.

    You know how sometimes two or three things happen at once and they all seem to fit together?  Well, I was looking for a particular video among my CD’s and I came upon a Declaration of Interdependence video we had created for a client some time ago.  It was the same as that presentation I’d made for that client I just told you about.and it is a DVD.  I look like a young kid in it.  Well, I watched it and I thought it was pretty good. In fact, I believe that if someone  showed it to their  entire work force and then had them sign this Declaration of Interdependence for Safety document and then followed up with the booklets they just might realize a dramatic change in the attitude and performance of their entire organization towards safety. Every now and then I hear from someone who says that they too use my video every year and start out the new year with a recommitment to safety. It is kind of a good feeling to know that my work goes on and on and on.   .  
     
    Say Something Good
    Mayberry. It isn’t a real place but an army of loyal fans visit Mayberry on a daily basis.  Mayberry existed only in the minds of the creators of The Andy Griffith Show which made its debut some forty nine years ago on TV and it has been showing continuously since then.  Mayberry is a place where people love one another and who try to understand and help out with one another’s daily problems. Otis, the town drunk locks himself up when he has had too much to drink instead of driving down their roads endangering others.  Deputy Barney has just one silver bullet and he carried it in his shirt pocket. Andy, the sheriff does not carry a gun.  He can solve most any problem with some understanding and a kind word. There are no wars, no terrorists, no drugs, no crime, no unemployment, just good guys and good times. Wouldn’t it be nice, oh, wouldn’t it be loverly? No, there is no real Mayberry where we can hide out from the world’s problems and challenges.  I guess it is up to us to provide the love and happiness and goodness we might find there in our own actions towards one another each day in the here and now.  May God bless America and keep our troops from harm. 
     
    Visit Our Website
    Learn about our sensational new 101 Kit that allows you to save thousands on speaker and travel fees and implement our fantastic employee positive interaction 101 program yourself.  It is an instant behavior modification commitment program that gets everyone in your organization involved in safety. Remember, you have a ten day money back guarantee too.  Act now!  and we will include my comprehensive 420 page book Winning the Safety Commitment as a bonus.
     
    Points To Ponder
    The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you lived, and lived well. Ralph Waldo Emerson
     
    A Little Humor 
    Bumper snickers.  “I’m out of estrogen and I have a gun.”  “I’ve got ‘er floored.  Pass on left.” *I’ll die for my right to carry a gun and fire it on the Expressway.”
     
    Quote of the Week
    Unhappy is the man, though he rule the world, who doesn’t consider himself supremely blessed. Marcus Annaeus Seneca