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Wisdom and Wit About the Wonderful and Often Wacky World of Words
Published by Bob Kelly
Resident Wordsmith and Quotemeister
WordCrafters, Inc.
www.wordcrafters.info
Providing the Right Word for Speakers, Writers, Ministry Leaders, Business Executives and Just Plain Folks – since 1979!
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Volume 7 – Number 8 August 2009
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Welcome to Issue 80 of The KellyGram!
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During one of the sessions at last month’s annual convention of the National Speakers Association, I heard some sound advice and, at the same time, learned a new word. Both came from Terry Brock, president of Florida-based Achievement Systems.
"In today’s challenging economic climate," he said, "our focus must be more on marketing and less on administrivia." While aimed primarily at professional speakers, that’s sound advice for everyone who must depend on his or her direct efforts to produce income.
The new word for me was "administrivia." Its meaning is rather obvious, and I found that it’s been around for awhile, but I simply hadn’t seen it.
It’s easy for us to get distracted and bogged down in details but, as Terry reminds us, it’s especially important these days to focus on those things which are most likely to bring us success. Another word for it might be perseverance, to "keep on keeping on" even in tough times.
I came across a book recently titled The Best Way Out Is Always Through: The Power of Perseverance. It was written by B.J. Gallagher and published by Simple Truths LLC. It’s filled with wisdom on this timely topic, and you can preview it at http://store.simpletruths.com/Product1522.
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In This Issue:
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FUN WITH WORDS
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The late J. Sidlow Baxter spent most of his adult life as a pastor in Edinburgh, Scotland. The author of more than two dozen books, he died in 1999 at age 96. He had a magnificent deep voice, a marvelous command of the English language, and a delightful sense of humor.
I heard him preach several times. In one message, he described a train trip when he was seated next to a young Communist who kept trying to convert him. Speaking kindly of his companion, Baxter described him as talkative, multifaceted, wordy, skillful and excitable.
However, those weren’t the terms he used. Rather, he used five nouns, each beginning with "v" and ending with "ity." Given the following clues, your challenge is to complete these five words, the first four of which have five syllables each, while the last one has four.
Multifaceted – V _ _ _ _ _ _ _ i t y
Talkative – V _ _ _ _ _ _ i t y
Excitable – V _ _ _ _ _ _ i t y
Outstanding skill – V _ _ _ _ _ _ i t y
Wordiness – V _ _ _ _ _ i t y
You'll find the correct answers elsewhere in this issue.
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THE QUOTE CORNER (Perseverance)
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Genius, that power which dazzles mortal eyes, is oft but perseverance in disguise.
Henry W. Austin
In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength but by perseverance.
H. Jackson Brown
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
Dale Carnegie
Press on: nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance.
Calvin Coolidge
Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure.
Benjamin Disraeli
Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.
Walter Elliott
Perseverance is the ingredient of life that sometimes makes up for lack of genius.
W. Ballentine Henley
Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down.
Charles F. Kettering
Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake somebody.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Big shots are only little shots who keep on shooting.
Christopher Morley
Nothing of great value in life comes easily. The things of highest value sometimes come hard. The gold that has the greatest value lies deepest in the earth, as do the diamonds.
Norman Vincent Peale
You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.
Babe Ruth
The will to persevere is often the difference between failure and success.
David Sarnoff
One may walk over the highest mountain one step at a time.
John Wanamaker
(Note: These quotations are from our collection of more than 420 published volumes of quotations and 1.5 million entries. If you're looking for quotes on virtually any subject, send us an email at bob@kellygram.com, or call us at 480-895-7617. Or, if you have a quote topic you'd like us to feature in an upcoming issue, email it to us and we'll get it on the schedule.)
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RHUBARB – THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN!
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What’s the first thing that enters your mind when you hear the word "rhubarb"? Do you picture freshly baked pies, breads or muffins? In that case, let Anu Garg tell you about an entirely different meaning, and how a very creative editor came to use it.
Every Sunday, Mr. Garg publishes a summary of the words he featured in the previous week’s edition of A.WORD.A.DAY, along with comments made by readers about those words. His theme for the week ending July 3 was "Slang," and one of the words he chose was "rhubarb," meaning "a heated dispute or controversy."
For subscriber Linda Kerby, that brought back memories of "a heated dispute" that began on March 22, 1990, when then President George H.W. Bush announced that he didn’t like broccoli, wouldn’t eat it, and was banning it from Air Force One and The White House.
That definitely got "a heated dispute" going, and one published report went so far as to refer to the date of the Bush announcement as "one of the darkest days in American history." An overstatement, to be sure, but it definitely triggered an uproar in the agricultural community, plus sharp criticism from various political figures, mainly Democrats.
In describing the incident, Kerby wrote: "A young newspaper editor from a small town in Kansas told me that he was very proud of a certain headline he had composed." Just three words long, it read: "Broccoli Rhubarb Mushrooms."
Over the years, I’ve collected many very funny headlines, but this one goes right to the top of the list. My thanks to Linda Kerby, Anu Garg and that bright newspaper editor from Kansas, whoever he may be.
As I’ve said before, I recommend subscribing to A.WORD.A.DAY. (http://www.wordsmith.org/) There’s no cost, and it consistently delivers lots of informative and often amusing material.
LEFT-BRAINERS TAKE NOTE!
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I had a chance to visit recently with Dick Bruso, a long-time close friend and colleague. Dick’s not only a branding expert but is one of the most creative individuals I know, so when he recommends a book, I pay attention. The book, which is also featured in the current issue of the Seeds of SUCCESS ezine (seeds@success.com), is titled, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, by Daniel Pink.
"It’s an incredible book," Dick says about this New York Times and BusinessWeek bestseller. "It transports us from the Information Age into the Conceptual Age. Pink tells us ‘we’re progressing… to a society of creators and empathizers, of pattern recognizers and meaning makers.’
"Pink talks about the power of understanding the senses, and encourages us to develop a whole new mind by mastering six high-concept, high-touch senses: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning. He takes us on a fantastic journey to the world of the creatives, and how ‘these six senses increasingly will guide our lives and shape our world.’"
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SMILE AWHILE
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"After twelve years of therapy, my psychiatrist said something that brought tears to my eyes. He said: ‘No hablo inglés.’"
(Ronnie Shakes)
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ODDS AND ENDS
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Back Issues:
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As always, I welcome your support. If you've found The KellyGram to be a helpful resource, I'd be grateful if you'd send this issue along to your friends, family members and colleagues. If they'd like to subscribe – it's FREE – all they have to do is send an email to bob@kellygram.com or use the form at http://www.wordcrafters.info/newsletters.html. Thanks so much!
Comments/Questions:
Your comments and questions are always welcome. Please contact us at bob@kellygram.com, or call Bob Kelly at (480) 895-7617.
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FUN WITH WORDS
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Here are the answers to this month's puzzle:
Multifaceted — Versatility
Talkative — Volubility
Excitable — Volatility
Outstanding skill — Virtuosity
Wordiness — Verbosity
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THE LAST WORD
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"Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal."
(Elbert Hubbard)
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© 2009 by Bob Kelly. All rights reserved.
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