| July 1, 2005 In this issue... A BE NICE Story Monthly Audio Message People Profile Corporate Corner Do Something! Quote of the Month And on BeNiceOrElse.com: Featured Article How to Be Nice in Your Community Past Newsletters June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 Send this newsletter to everyone you know or mean people will track you down! Listen to Finalist — "A famous swami once told me years ago that someone who’s nice always gains... Winn Claybaugh is a remarkable guy and one of the best motivational speakers in the country. In this terrific work, he brings you easy-to-use concepts that could bring interesting rewards." |
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THE LAND WE LOVE
 Hi Everyone,In July, we Americans celebrate our independence. Oh, how I love the country we live in! I love our freedom and I appreciate those who serve so generously to make it possible. It doesn’t matter what your personal stance is about war, or whether you think our country should be involved in the conflicts happening abroad. The fact is, our own brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters are far away from home and they need our love and support on many levels. Once again, this month’s issue is about doing something. It’s about finding causes and organizations that support the amazing way of life that our country and other countries provide. It’s about stepping outside our own drama and helping others. It’s about being grateful for what we have, and for showing that gratitude by helping others—not just on Independence Day, but every day. I’m grateful that I live in a country that allows me to work, to compete in business, to pursue my dreams, and to give back to those who make it all happen, which definitely includes our military men and women. As a business owner, I use my “power” to support many other causes as well. It’s the patriotic thing to do, and I encourage you to do the same. What a life! XOXO, Winn
A BE NICE Story Do you have a BE NICE story to share? Send it to editor@BeNiceOrElse.com. If it appears in the newsletter, you’ll receive a BE NICE T-shirt and CD! For the second year in a row, four staff members from Paul Mitchell The School participated in the 7-day, 585-mile AIDS/LifeCycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. They were among the 1,600 cyclists who raised $6.8 million for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the HIV/AIDS services of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. Joshua Corso, Micah McDougle, Brad Rosen, and George Morales (shown in the photo with Winn Claybaugh, right) represented Team Paul Mitchell. The foursome made it their goal to raise $10,000 for the organizations, which support research, education, hotlines, prevention groups, community outreach programs, Web sites, and health promotion. The following letter came from Micah McDougle after he completed the ride.  Dear Winn,I thought I would take a moment and thank you for the opportunity to ride with Paul Mitchell The School’s team on the AIDS/LifeCycle. The most amazing aspect of the entire event was the incredible feeling of unity and love as thousands of people from all walks of life joined to fight this life-ending disease. Some of the most touching and inspiring moments of the trip were getting to know the HIV-positive riders. Life has dealt them a tough hand and they respond with strength and resilience. I actually met someone who has been kept alive by medication that was funded by programs like LifeCycle. I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to think that perhaps I have helped someone live another day. It brings incredible depth to the meaning of being a daymaker! This ride gave me the opportunity to join together in love and unity with so many different people. We looked past our outward differences and looked deeper into our hearts. There were no labels, just human beings. We were all united in our desire to do good and stop something bad. In our mobile city of nomadic bike riders, no one was left out or excluded because of their lifestyle, race, or religion. It made me wonder why the world can’t be more like that. Someone once told me that people can’t change, but I know that’s not true. People can change and hearts can soften. What was once mean and scared can become strong, nice, and compassionate. It takes courage to be nice, to expand our comfort zones and raise our awareness of others. I thank God for the opportunity to ride LifeCycle this year and for the life-enriching experiences it brought me. I just met over 2,000 nice people! You would have been proud. Love, Micah McDougle AIDS/LifeCycle Rider #3804 Monthly Audio Message  This month’s audio message is a special call to action. It’s not a political statement; it’s a humble and passionate request for you to support a group of individuals who need your love, comfort, attention, and gratitude—the families of our troops abroad. Listen as Winn Claybaugh interviews his World War II father, Donn Claybaugh, and Marsha Steinbrenner, the mother of a 20-year-old marine tank driver who served in Iraq. Then, business owner Melissa Yamaguchi shares some news about what beauty salons all across America are doing to give back.If you enjoyed this month’s audio message, you’ll love our MASTERS Audio Club. CLICK HERE for more information. People Profile  From the beginning of 1943 through the end of 1945, Donn Claybaugh served in World War II as a torpedoman’s mate aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer. He participated in more than a dozen major military campaigns all over the Pacific and served in the occupation of Japan. His ship was strafed, shelled, bombed, and hit by a suicide plane. Ultimately, he was injured in an accident onboard ship and has been a member of the Disabled American Veterans for almost 60 years.Before shipping out, Donn married his wife, Jeanne. He was 18; she was 16. After the war, the couple began raising a family and Donn attended the University of Southern California. He earned a degree in industrial management, then spent the next 26 years working in the aerospace industry. He then taught for 10 years at Utah Valley State College and retired 18 years ago. Next month, the Claybaughs will celebrate 62 years of marriage! They had eight children (one of whom is deceased), 30 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren, “with two more on the way,” Claybaugh says. With obvious emotion in his voice, he added, “I have a great wife. We’re very much in love.” When asked for his thoughts about the men, women, and families serving our country today, Claybaugh said, “I think everybody should support them. When you know of a serviceperson—man or woman—seek them out and see if there’s something you can do for them.” Corporate Corner Give Back to Your Community One of the most important and meaningful ways to spread your BE NICE revolution and create a healthier work environment is to embrace people who are less fortunate. Why? Because it’s a nice thing to do, it’s the right thing to do, and it sets up a wonderful opportunity to bring out the niceness in everyone involved. Over the past 20 years, my company and its wonderful staff have chosen to get involved in all sorts of different causes and charities, including AIDS, breast cancer research, mental health, homelessness, firefighters, battered women, abused children, the elderly, the 9/11 tragedy, leukemia, and more. Were these all causes and charities that I chose? Well, some of them were causes that I personally am passionate about, so I rallied up my team to help me make a difference. But the majority of our philanthropic pursuits were the causes and charities that individual staff members were passionate about. When you join your staff and fellow workers in causes they care about and help them make a difference, you’ll cultivate better relationships and sustain a healthy work culture like you’ve never seen before. How do you find out what causes are important to your staff and your co-workers? You ask them! Do Something! Choose Nice Nonprofits In addition to researching nice for-profit companies so that you can support them by spending money with them, I also want to challenge you to look for and support nice nonprofit organizations. There are amazing organizations that do amazing things, and they’d all love to have your attention and participation. When choosing where to donate your time and money, how about embracing a couple of organizations whose sole mission is to cultivate a BE NICE society? CLICK HERE to download a Word document with some great examples. Quote of the Month “Who has lost his freedom has nothing else to lose.” —German proverb
Winn Claybaugh’s Be Nice (Or Else!) The Newsletter! |
