REMINDER: Life Has No Rewind Button –You Might As Well Live 'Full Throttle'

I'm starting to fall in love with the term "full throttle."

It has come up a couple times this week – the most impactful being at my men's fellowship class. Our pastor talked about loving more deeply, laughing more often, giving more generously, and living more boldly.

I LOVE IT!

He encouraged us to "untie our ropes" and live with no regrets.

Easier said than done, right?

Well, he also addressed the issues that keep us from "throwing off the bowlines and sailing away from the safe harbor," as Mark Twain so poetically put it. Those deterrents included:

• Lies (e.g. the assumption that there will be a tomorrow – "I'll start that next week.")

• Guilt

• Anger

• Pride

• Self-pity

As our pastor closed us in prayer, I told God that I feel like I AM living "full throttle" and I expressed my gratitude. Thanks to my faith in Him – I'm able to live boldly without any fear. (Not reckless...just boldly.) I'm able to take risks. I'm able to chase my dreams. I'm able to love with all my heart. I'm able to be the best husband, brother, son, and boss that I can be.

Is that too prideful? Definitely no self-pity, huh?

Anyway, I've already had the opportunity to spread the word about living "full throttle."

Some family friends have a 12-year-old granddaughter going toe-to-toe with Leukemia. She is so brave and strong – a true inspiration. (I kind of feel sorry for the cancer – Ms. Presley is a tiger.)

I wear a bracelet on my right wrist to let her, and her family, know that they're constantly on my mind and in my prayers. Her grandparents, who I know very well, have requested time and time again for photos of people wearing the bracelets.

ME: "Oh...I'll do it tomorrow"

and/or "I'll get around to it." (see lies above)

I was dropping the ball and finally said, "ENOUGH! It's time."

This is where it goes "full throttle" – instead of simply e-mailing Presley's grandmother a picture of me wearing the bracelet, I found EVERY picture I could put my hands on with the bracelet on display. I took those photos, added some music, and turned it into a short video.

The title (appropriately enough): "Going Full Throttle: Adventures of the Bracelet"

I also included little life lessons on each picture – specifically for Ms. Presley.

As I uploaded the video to YouTube and sent the link to Presley's family, though, I quickly realized that I was preaching to the choir about going "full throttle."

If there is ANYONE in this world doing that...it's Presley Boydston. Not only is she kicking the crap out of cancer, she is designing T-shirts, going to school, updating her blog, and loving the hell out of her family.

Through the e-mail updates that I receive – I know she has rough days, but I also know that she is loving deeply, laughing often, giving generously, and living boldly.

FULL THROTTLE!

I wanted to share the video with everyone.

Reminder: This is not about me – I just happen to be acting like a moron in every picture. This is about Presley and her courageous fight against Leukemia.

Keep your eye on the baby blue bracelet and let the life lessons sink in. (NOTE: You may want to make the video full-screen in order to read the life lessons.)

WHY IS EVERYTHING 'WONDERFULLY GREAT'?

I constantly use the phrase "wonderfully great."

I LOVE IT!

I wanted to remind everyone – including myself – of its origin.

This blog post was from November 9, 2008:

I was checking in at the Pittsburgh airport recently, I heard a conversation between a customer and a ticket agent that stopped me cold.

The customer was a middle-aged gentleman with a mental disability. When the gate agent asked how he was doing, he responded in the most genuine tone you can imagine. “Wonderfully great,” he said with a proud smile. (It was almost like he was thrilled she actually inquired.)

I couldn’t help but smile, too.

When the ticket agent was assisting me, we briefly discussed the dialogue between her and the gentleman. We both agreed that if anyone asked either one of us the rest of the day, we’d both be “wonderfully great.”

As I walked away from the ticket counter, I wondered why everyone can’t always choose to be “wonderfully great.”

DOES ANYONE HAVE A RAZOR I CAN BORROW?

No Shave Month – No. 101 on My 101 List – is officially marked off.

I documented the uncomfortable/itchy experience using Daily Mugshot. You know what's funny, my mountain man look was a huge conversation piece at all my business meetings.

Daily Mugshot
(Can't see slide show? Refresh your browser)

1-MINUTE COMMERCIAL ABOUT E-PARTNERS

At a recent Meetup Group, I "won" the opportunity to give a one-minute commercial about e-Partners in Giving to other entrepreneurs. Instead of focusing on the partnerships in our targeted industries – death-care & non-profit – I decided to put an emphasis on our brand of giving back.

I typed it up and wanted to share it here:

I used to be a “holiday volunteer” – you know...go down to the local homeless shelter on Thanksgiving and Christmas – maybe Easter...spend a couple of hours so I didn’t feel guilty about gorging myself later that day 

with turkey and dressing.

Now I live by the mantra “Never Stop Giving Back” and spend anywhere from 25 to 30 hours a month volunteering.

Why...because I finally found my passion, and I completely blurred the lines of my life – business and pleasure, free time and work hours.

A little over one year ago, I took control of my life, quit my job in college athletics and started my own company – e-Partners in Giving, which is a web site that makes online giving as easy as possible.

Going into this, we were very aware that web sites like this already existed, but we felt like there are several things that separate us – the No. 1 thing being our dedication to walk the walk. We aren’t just encouraging people to give back – we are actually doing it.

Whether that’s spending time with my Little Brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters or staying up all night at Relay For Life event.

I have been gloriously ruined to take action, and I have found several causes that eat at my soul.

So I ask you...“What tugs at your heartstrings?” Once you find it, we encourage you to “Never Stop Giving Back.”

e-Partners in Giving can help you do that.

HELPING KIDS – ONE NICKEL AT A TIME

I need to share a VERY quick story, and I have a VERY small favor to ask. (I know what you’re saying... “Drew is on the giving back war path again!” This time it’s VERY 

painless and it will only 

cost you $4.)

As most of you are aware, I used to be a “holiday volunteer” (You know... I’d go to the homeless shelter at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas and serve food for a couple hours so I wouldn’t feel guilty about gorging myself later in the day.) But most of you also know that a little over a year ago my life completely changed.

When I launched e-Partners in Giving in May 2008, I realized very quickly that I need to do more than “talk the talk” in regards to giving back.

That’s when I became a Big Brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters. For the last 16 months, I have been a mentor to a wonderfully great young man named Anthony. We’ve done so many fun things – from waterparks and Frisbee golf to the final Dallas Cowboys game at Texas Stadium.

In a short amount of time, Anthony has changed my life. More than anything, he has made me realize that every single person deserves a fighting chance to be successful. Anthony’s story is tragic, but that doesn’t diminish his HUGE heart and his AMAZING sense of adventure. His home life might be a daily struggle, but that doesn’t deter his inquisitive nature and passion for fulfilling his dreams.

Again...

EVERYONE DESERVES A FIGHTING CHANCE TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

Well...we need your help putting five more kids right in the middle of this fight!

I’m not asking you to become a Big Brother or Big Sister (not right NOW, at least) – I’m simply asking for a $4 donation to support our Bowl for Kids’ Sake team. This is Big Brothers Big Sisters’ largest fund-raising initiative of the year and we’re making a push to get FIVE KIDS OFF THE WAITING LIST – one nickel at a time.

One nickel? Actually, 80 of them.

We’re asking people to pay 5 cents for every pin that we knock down during the BFKS bowling tournament on Saturday. Since we’re all AWFUL bowlers – we figured our average score would be around 80.

80 pins x 5 cents = $4.00!

Through a MASSIVE social media blitz, we’re trying to raise $5,000 for our bowling team. That would ensure that FIVE KIDS would get matched and that match would be sustained for one year.

The process is super simple and there are NO additional fees. Simply visit: http://www.epartnersingiving.com/bowlforkidssake

We’re trying to pull this off in 72 hours.

We encourage you to forward this e-mail to family and friends as well. (Don’t worry...nothing bad will happen to you if you DON’T, but if you DO...I would be forever grateful.) Other ways you can help – post on your Facebook page, Tweet about it, put it on your blog. Spread the word anyway you can.

Just think about it...if all of my Facebook friends made a $4 donation – we’d be well on our way. If all of THEIR FRIENDS made a donation – we’d start making a difference.

This is your chance to help change the lives of five kids AND change the lives of the five adults who will get the opportunity provide them a little time and a lot of love.

Thanks in advance for your support!





NEVER STOP GIVING BACK