“We’re not retiring, we’re retooling”(TM)Hitting the 60′s has been a lot of fun and a real challenge in many ways.Probably the single biggest event is that I started throwing the discus again after a hiatus of 41 years. It is in Masters Track and Field.If you read my article from last Fall I mentioned that I injured my ankle early on which hampered me all last season (’07) and carried over to this season ’08.Then at the Eastern Regional Championships on July 19th, I did the thing I told everyone not to do, I tore that tendon. That brought an abrupt end to my track season.For all of you aficionados, it is the right Posterior Tibialis Tendon. I hadn’t done anything to repair it hoping that it would take care of itself. It didn’t, so now I am in rehab at the Sports Medicine department of the Cleveland Clinic.This injury has made me think a lot about the natural Talents that we all have but many of us don’t use. Or, like me, we wait until late in life to use them. There are a variety of reasons why we do this and I will address those reasons in detail in future articles.My overall thinking on this topic includes the three elements that seem to make successful use of Talent. They are covered by the acronym T.I. M. which stands for Talent, Inspiration, and Motivation.Very briefly I mean that we must identify the Talent, have an external power called Inspiration that drives us to pursue that Talent, and then have the internal Motivation to develop the Talent.Every successful person I know follows these three elements and I will address them in much more detail in future articles as well as presentations I will give on the subject.The first element is the Talent. All of us are blessed with some innate Talent. It can be music, art, math, science, athletics, medicine something that we are driven to.We all know people who “just have a gift for….” That is you also.A lot of people never pursue their Talent. From my experience there are lots of reason why, which we will discuss in the future.For me I saw no future in it. Also, in college in the mid 60′s I let a lot of other things push it away. My natural Talent is discus throwing. I have no idea why or how. I just went out for track as a Freshman in High School and started throwing well. I had never held a discus before or even knew anything about the discus.I know people who sit a piano for the first time and start playing real music or a guitar or some other instrument.Some kids have a natural “bent” for science or math. Not because of their parents leading but simply due to the gift of Talent.I want to go into much more detail about each of these elements in future articles and speaking presentations, but for now focus on your talents.If you are using them, congratulations. If you are not, consider starting. It is never too late. What is it that you seem driven to do, but for some reason haven’t pursued?We will talk again soon.Bill Truax”We’re not retiring, we’re retooling” is the title of a series of articles and other communications by Bill Truax dealing with the baby boomer generation as it nears age 65.

Sometimes half the battle of success in online school is staying organized and meeting deadlines. Here are 10 must-have apps for your iPhone, iPod, or iPad that will keep you on track.BigWords
This amazing app helps students find the best prices on textbooks and helps them sell the books when the class is over. BigWords compares prices at several online stores and even does the math to calculate discounts and shipping.StudyBlue
Ever wish you could take your study guides and teachers’ PowerPoints with you wherever you go? Now you can. StudyBlue lets students make flashcards, take notes, create study aides, upload documents, and even sync all this with their computer.Cram
Make those last-minute, late-night study sessions more productive with Cram. This essential app has it all: flashcards, multiple-choice tests, pictures, and the ability to sync with your computer.iStudiez Pro
The ultimate scheduling and organization app, iStudiez Pro does it all. Schedule classes and assignments and view them by date, course, priority, pending, or complete, set alarms to remind you of missed deadlines, view teacher contact info, and back it all up by email.Remember The Milk
This app is essentially a glorified to-do list. Students can set due dates, prioritize tasks, take notes related to tasks, search items, create repeating tasks, and even set instant message, email, or text reminders.Google Mobile App
Students who rely on Google for email, calendaring, shared documents, and tasks, among other aspects of their life, can take all that convenience with them with Google Mobile.Evernote
Evernote is an incredible note-taking app that allows students to take detailed notes. But not just regular notes! Students can take audio and photo notes, search them, and sync them to their computer.Dropbox
Online school usually requires the sharing and transporting of documents. Dropbox makes this easy with it’s ability to share files, sync them to the Internet and your computer, and even download documents for offline viewing. Now you will never have to worry about forgetting your homework.Grades
Ever done that last minute number crunching to find out what score you need on your midterm to land an A in biology? Crunch no more. Grades lets you enter your grades and their weights to find out how well you need to do on an upcoming test to get the grade you’re aiming for.Wi-Fi Finder
Wi-Fi Finder is essential for students in online school programs. This handy app tells you where the closest hotspot is, how to get there, and even lists a phone number for the location. You can sort by provider, location type, and free vs. paid locations.With these apps, online school will never be the same. Stay organized, up to date, and get the grades you need so you can start your career off right.

“Vacation deprivation is at an all-time high,” says Sally McKenzie, vice president and general manager of the online vacation website Expedia.com. Harris Interactive and Ipsos were hired by Expedia to study U.S. vacation trends. Ms. Mckenzie continues, “there are incredible health and wellness benefits associated with time off from work.” It looks like Americans will be missing out on all the fun this year.What were the findings? U.S. employees this year will likely forfeit more than 574 million vacation days. That is an extra 150 million vacation days forfeited this year over 2005 levels or about 4 vacation days that go unused per employee.Why don’t Americans learn from foreign employees and enjoy the vacation days they have earned?There are many reasons. One of them is still our upbringing with the Puritan work ethic. Our country was founded on hard work and long hours. Taking days off is still looked upon by many employers as being slothful, lazy, and not being productive. With the downsizing that has been going on in corporate America, employees are nervously looking over their shoulders wanting to make sure they give no one any excuse to replace them. They all want to look like team players.Gasoline prices are out of sight. With some working families having to pay an extra $1500 to $2000/year for gasoline, right there their summer vacation has gone up in gas fumes.The Federal Reserve increasing interest rates is hurting vacationers. It is estimated that in 2005, almost 40% of mortgages were the exotic kinds with adjustable rates, zero interest, etc. With the Federal Reserve having raised interest rates for almost 20 quarters in a row, many families are seeing their mortgage payments jumping from an extra few hundred a month, to in some case over an extra $1000 per month. For some families it is a choice of wanting to keep the roof over their heads. Vacation time has gone out the window.A final reason Americans are not taking more vacation time is vacation resorts and destinations are not exciting people into wanting to take days off of work.A lodging magazine survey showed that the typical resort, averages around a 15% repeat guest rate. “That is a horrible number,” says Tom Mulhall, past president of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce. “That means the typical resort and resort destination is doing something to turn off 85% of its guests. We pride ourselves on averaging just over a 75% repeat guest rate ourselves.”Tom and his wife Mary Clare own The Terra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional Resort and Spa in Palm Springs, CA http://sunnyfun.com and Tom feels that today’s cookie cutter chain hotels are more interested in maximizing the revenue from a guest instead of a guest getting to maximize their fun. Chains need to understand that guests have to have a great experience at a resort and at a destination. When guests feel like they have to “watch their wallet” every time they walk into a lobby, they start to resent it. And charging hidden “resort fees, and outlandish parking rates” has probably cost more resorts lost repeat guest then anything else. Until chains understand that, repeat guest rates will still suffer.Tom concludes by saying,”last week, one of my guests told me he had accumulated over 50 vacation days at work. I asked him why he did not take more travel time. He said, outside of the 2 week vacation he spends with us each year, no other vacation resorts excite him and his wife. ‘I don’t want to waste my vacation time at some mediocre place,’ said the guest. ‘We did that when we were younger. Now I would rather save vacation days to cash out at retirement instead of using them now.’” Chilling words for the travel industry.This year it looks like travel destinations and resorts are going to have to work harder than ever to recapture the vacation time and hearts of the American traveler.