What books I read in 2007

2007 is about to come to a close. The months tick by like the incessant tick-tock of an old grandfather clock. Cherish the years, months, day, hours, and minutes.

I certainly hope 2007 was a prosperous year for everyone in all facets (personal, professional, spiritual, emotional, and physical). I wanted to share the list of books that I completed in 2007. Here’s hoping you can find the time to read some of them in 2008. I tried to keep a nice mix of ficton/non-fiction, personal/professional, although I think I need to be more diligent around reading more non-fiction books in '08.

Don’t forget: Always be learning; always be growing. Happy reading.

Has anyone read any of these books? How about letting the Naden’s Corner audience know about your experience?

Culture Warrior by Bill O'Reilly

Who’s Looking out for you? by Bill O'Reilly

Call to Action by Brian Eisenberg

Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom

The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

How to Start A Conversation and Make Friends by Don Gabor

Buffettology by Mary Buffett

Tongue Fu by Sam Horn

Zen Golf by Joseph Parent

Personal Magnetism by Andrew DuBrin

Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill

Waiting for the Cat to Bark: Persuading Customers When they Ignore Marketing by Bryan Eisenberg

The Secret by Ken Blanchard

The Likeability Factor by Tim Sanders

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

Next post:
The books I’d like to read in 2008 (time permitting).
My goal: read (at least 16) books in 2008.
Stay tuned.

Dan Naden
Naden’s Corner

Season of Appreciation

During this holiday season, let’s take time to thank those who help us on a daily basis.

Whether it’s the cashier at the grocery store, the gas station attendant, the janitor at your work, your boss, parents, or significant other, tell them that you really appreciate what they do.

We all want to feel appreciated. It does not matter whether we are making the most important decision for our company or family, or the seemingly smallest menial task, we all want to know that we are an important cog in the wheel of life.

Put aside the hectic rush to the mall, the last-minute gift ideas, the parties, and the unfortunate stress that often appears during the holidays, and show your appreciation for others in your life. You will feel better about yourself and you’ll definitely light up that other person’s life.

Make a phone call, write a letter, or send an e-mail to your brother, sister, cousin, Mom, Dad or friend right now and tell them that you are glad that they are in your life.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Until next time...

Dan Naden
Naden's Corner

Selfless customer service for our nerf-eating dog

Life sometimes deals you a curve ball.

We had one recently with our chocolate Labrador.

If you’ve been around chocolate labs, you know they sometimes get ‘eager’. Eager to please, eat, play, and just be a chocolate Labrador.

Unfortunately, our lab’s eagerness got her into a ‘situation’ about a week ago, but this incident had a silver lining.

Our dog mistakenly ate a kid’s toy. Not a small toy, but a toy about the size of a racquetball. After a few days of obvious discomfort, and determining that this toy was not ‘exiting’ her in some fashion, we took her to the professionals at Lakeline Animal Care in Austin, Texas.

The x-ray turned up the toy, clear as day in her stomach. Not to get too graphic, but the bile and juices in the dog’s stomach caused the ball to nearly double in size. There was no way to get that ball out of her stomach other than surgery.

The staff at Lakeline Animal Care instructed us on the specifics of the surgery, gave us continual updates, and made us feel that our dog was in capable hands. Post-surgery, they provided us with comprehensive instruction on how to feed and care for our wounded pup, and gave us as much time as we needed to ask questions. Big bonus points!!

The good news is that our dog is fine. She’s romping around like it never happened.
The great news is that the employees at Lakeline Animal Care made a frightening experience into a pleasant one by really caring for our dog and making us feel comfortable throughout the experience.

If you have a dog and live in Austin, I highly recommend Lakeline Animal Care.
Here’s hoping that everyone at Lakeline gets a nice gift in their Christmas stocking.
They provided a lesson in selfless customer service that every business should embody.
(Photo courtesy of: Valley View Dogs)

Until next time...

Dan Naden


Naden's Corner

Keep your attitude in check

I get way too many e-mail newsletters. I rarely get time to read them all, but I do make time to read Napoleon Hill's special delivery.

In a recent issue, Mr. Hill had a section titled:
"It isn't defeat, but rather your mental attitude toward it, that whips you."

This could not be said any better. We are faced with adversity, struggle, and strife on a daily basis. We must continually 'get up off the canvas' and face life's challenges squarely.

I will let Mr. Hill take it from here. Here's to turning defeat into victory.

"There are many things in life that you cannot control, but you can always control your attitude toward them. Defeat is never permanent unless you allow it to be so. When you have a positive attitude, you will recognize failure for the impostor that it is and realize that it is really a learning experience, a valuable lesson that will help you succeed with the next attempt."

We sometimes let the small things overwhelm us (car troubles, a stressful day at work, a faulty alarm clock). Try diligently to not see these 'events' as disappointments. Each of these 'events' should be seen as a learning experience. Occurences like this will undoubtedly happen again, so use your attitude to handle them appropriately.

Until next time,

Dan Naden
Naden's Corner