Passion, the word is too often connected with love. Funny, in “biblical” translation, that is from “Coine  Greek”, the word “love” is translated from these: “eros”, that is passion, “porneos”, that is “physical” love, and “agape”, that is “brotherly love” or “the love of God”.

The passion about which I write should not be connected to sexual situations at all, but enthusiam– a zest for life.

I publish a music magazine, Ukulele Player Magazine, actually. It is more a labor of love than a profit-maker. I do it because I love what I am doing and the publishing business actually makes its money elsewhere. So, what’s in it for me? MUSIC. I LOVE IT. I am PASSIONATE about it.

There are times when I receive new ukuleles from manufacturers and others in the industry. I get to photograph them, play them, and sometimes keep them. I get to take them to shows and play them. I get to pass them around at club meetings and watch other people play them and lovingly caress them. Yes, music is a passion for many people, not just me.

When I get a chance to “gift” a ukulele to someone, it is a real thrill. I love giving the gift of music. Everyone wins and I feel good doing it. Give a kid a little ukulele and you open their heart and mind to something they will cherish for a life-time.

Passion is the richness of life.

I love e-books. In fact, I started reading e-books on my Palm devices a long time ago. These days, I read e-books on a Palm Tunsten E2 and an iPod Touch. Yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, I ordered the newest “Kindle Reader”, version “III” –at $139 USD, it is a great value. My wife and I both love reading and we will put it to good use. I may buy her one of “her own” if she likes this one when it arrives– Mid September, due to high demand.

The new Kindle Reader provides a month of power on a single charge and can be fully charged in a little over four hours. That is a big benefit because I use either the “Kindle Reader” application on the iPod Touch, the eReader Pro on the Touch, and the eReader Pro or MobiReader on my Palm virtually every day.

There are over a million public domain books online for people wanting them. In addition, Amazon, eReader.com, and other online book-sellers are providing huge lists of books from major publishers and individuals at very reasonable prices– thanks to Amazon leading the way in that.

If you have not tried reading books in electronic form, give it a whirl. You might find that you love the convenience of it. I carry a big assortment of titles, most of it non-fiction, on my Palm and iPod Touch– available anytime, anywhere, for my reading pleasure.

BTW, by own books are all available in Kindle format via AMAZON.

Another business week has come and gone. It is early Saturday morning. Right now, it is fifty degrees and forecasts say that today will be a high of eighty-four with “abundant sunshine”. This is a perfect day for some rest and relaxation.

Relaxation is a lost art, it seems. I find myself wondering about people when I am on a hiking trail and I come across someone “talking business” on a cell phone. It almost makes me want to jump and shout and wave my hands in the air. “Hey buddy, loose the phone– get a life! Well, get a life before stress takes it away from you.

UNPLUG!

To keep ENERGIZED, you have to learn to unplug. You have to become comfortable with the concept that it is vital to your long-term health and well-being to be able to remove yourself from your work (from business) and not think about it for a while. The result is that when you step into your office you will be more focused and have more energy. The person that learns to separate work and recreation time will be sharper mentally and physically. Your powers of concentration will be stronger. You will accomplish more. Productivity will increase and your attitude will be much better. You’ll be happier.

Once you learn to let go, unplug, and leave work behind for a while, you will be amazed with the results.

At about 1:30 PM today the latest issue of Ukulele Player Magazine went live. It takes a lot of work to get there and it is always a relief to cut it loose and start watching the music forums and answer any questions and comments from the readers. We have almost 150,000 readers at this point.

Publishing a music magazine is a never-ending process, but, it is a labor of love. I have the excitement of meeting people, some famous, some not, and the joy of introducing up and coming “stars” to the world of music. It is a great feeling and makes all the hard work worth every minute of it.

Music is the universal language and it is said that if everyone played a little ukulele the world would be a better place. It’s true, because it is hard NOT TO SMILE when you play the ukulele.

Now, I have to update the database entries for our monthly contest. Some lucky winner will receive a $600 BASS UKULELE made by Kala Ukes. The UBASS is a cool instrument. I wouldn’t mind owning one myself.

Thanks to all the readers and good luck to all the contest entries.

I have had a long string of busy weekends and this one is no exception. Today and tomorrow I am putting the next issue of Ukulele Player Magazine together. So, I have a lot to do. It is always enjoyable, though, working on something you love doing.

When people ask me how to get into writing I always tell them to pick topics from one of their hobbies or something about which they are passionate. In my case, I have written about positive thinking, music, photography, cycling, computers, metal detectors, archaeology, fly fishing, religion, and world trade. I have no shortage of hobbies and interests.

If you ever wanted to be “a writer”, it really helps if you have some hobbie that can provide the basis for your articles. Writers often enter the field by writing about their area of expertise. Again, in my case, I have expertise in several fields of interest and a lot of my hobbies grew into money-making opportunities.

The great thing about a weekend of publishing work is that it can often be followed by a weekend or two of recreation time. Unfortunately for me, I have a lot of other work in the pipeline and that seems to have been the case all year long. With the coming of autumn, I hope to spend more time writing and when I do get “out” it will be to take pictures for the photography magazine we publish.

Staying busy has its benefits… time flies.

Success typically conjures up images of money, but it shouldn’t necessarily be that way.

If success were always quantified by money, would there ever be enough?

Success is accomplishment, not money. If you are successful, though, money can follow– depending on what it is that you are doing and whether or not it is marketable. A lot depends on your desired goal.

The aquisition of money is not a bad thing, it is really a good thing. Money surely makes life easier. It can buy you conveniences. It can provide necessities. It can give you feelings of security. It can, when used well, provide future stability for you and your family. There are many things in this world that cannot be achieved without money.

If you can turn your passions into money-making opportunities, it is likely that both success and money will be yours. Visualize your accomplishments first and money coming from those.

Now, go make it happen.

I searched for an old friend online yesterday and found him, thanks to “social networking”, in this case, Linked-In.

Ralph Fraley was at one time my supervisor for a company that specialized in all things computers. We were a technical group and worked in a large comfortable office. Ralph was a former police officer and a down-to-earth sorta guy when he wasn’t flying his plane somewhere. We played guitar together a few times.

We both moved on. Ralph is a police officer in North Carolina and I have a whole bunch of things that occupy my time, but I think of him quite often when I am playing guitar.

One of the biggest benefits of internet technology is being able to communicate with people we have known and stay in touch. Perhaps our paths will cross again. Maybe we’ll even get a chance to play guitar together again. Never know. But, come what may, Ralph, when I play guitar, I’ll most likely think of you at some point.

One of the things I love most is getting together with my son. He is serving in the United States Army. He will be in town soon and is staying for just a few days, then it’s back to Bragg and to whatever mission comes next.

Whether anyone knows it or not, our military personnel put everything on the line for the cause of liberty. Even if they don’t fully understand the impact their service has on our country and the world, they do know that they must follow orders and do the job right. Our troops are winners. If there is one thing our military does well it is seeing the mission through to completion, no matter what it takes. They don’t shrink in the face of adversity, they overcome it.

Military leaders were first followers. Indeed, learning to follow is the beginning of leadership. These brave young people deserve a hardy round of applause.

My son is a hero, and so are the rest of our troops. I am proud of them all.

It’s now Saturday morning and things are returning to a more normal work pace for me. I have the next issue of Ukulele Player Magazine to release (soon) and things will return to a much more relaxed pace. That is good, because the summer is moving terribly fast and much of what I enjoy about summer I have been too busy to do.

Recreation is important for good attitude and physical health. Working hard should be accompanied by playing hard.

I have been asked by a friend how many miles I have logged on the bicycle this season and I have to answer with not nearly enough. Yes, I have been on the bike some, but I have not ridden lately and that was simply due to the work schedule and coincidental bad weather when I might have had the opportunity to ride. So, today, I hope to log some time on the bike.

I still have lots of work to do, but, fitness is a priority and today is great riding weather.

The weekend agenda includes recording a music video and also the first of several videos for “Get Happy, Write Away”. This latter video will briefly explain the “comfort zone” and how you can utilize visualization to meet new challenges. Look for it over the weekend, it will be posted on YouTube.

My wife and I have been very busy for quite some time. Between the day-gig, music, magazines we publish, and other work, it seems that we are constantly on the go.

Last night, I received an e-mail from a good friend back East, Will Daskal. I responded just a little while ago.

Will is a fabulous watercolor painter, author, fly fishing guru, and all-around great guy. We taught fly fishing together years ago and many an evening we instructors sat around playing music after enjoying a piping hot pizza from our favorite Hancock, New York eatery, La Salette. The restaurant was owned by Alex Conti and his beautiful daughter Tina was a delight. She was more than a waitress, she was a friend.

So, life may be rushing past me, but the e-mail from Will caused me to reflect on how lucky I am that I have such great friends out there. This evening, I plan to relax a bit and think about the places I have been and the people that have shared moments in time with me. They are a colorful lot and a good many memories bring a smile to my face. And, of course, Tina is a one-of-a-kind. What a gem.

If you find yourself in the Pocono Mountains in Eastern Pennsylvania, look for Will Daskal’s paintings in and around the galleries of Stroudsburg. Visit his website here:  http://www.willdaskal.com/