Holiday fun

Part of being young at heart is enjoying a good belly-laugh or engaging in innocent horse-play.
So I thought I'd bring a smile to your Summer with something seriously funny - and topical.

So thanks to http://myitforum.com/ here are some great 'out of the office' automatic email replies:

1. I am currently out of the office at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Please be prepared for my mood.

2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn’t have received anything at all.

3. Sorry to have missed you, but I’m at the doctor’s having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.

4. I will be unable to delete all the emails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.

5. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
6. The email server is unable to verify your server connection. Your message has not been delivered. Please restart your computer and try sending again.

7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.

8. Hi, I’m thinking about what you’ve just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.

9. I’ve run away to join a different circus.

10. I will be out of the office for the next two weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as ‘Kate’ instead of Dave.

How to be young without make-up or surgery

Have you ever thought about breast augmentation or liposuction? Or perhaps eyelid surgery or dermal filler treatments? You have? Not surprising then that the market for surgical and non-surgical procedures is rising at 20%+ per year. In Britain the total money spent by people looking for a lift to their looks is now almost £500million according to Research and Markets (quoted in The Cosmetic Surgery Market Report, 2008).

But, there is another way! You can be more youthful without undergoing the knife. And this is a technique that requires almost no financial outlay.

So, what is the secret of eternal youth? The surprisingly simple solution is that you need to think young to become young. Going about your life with a youthful mindset will keep life fresh and fulfilling. A genuine elixir.

If you want to know about the six steps to staying younger and feeling sharper, order the following book now: 'You Can Be As Young As You Think' by Tim Drake and Chris Middleton.

Everyone wants to rejuvenate

The desire to be younger has, in some quarters, got a bad name. Some think this urge is about total vanity. Others think you should accept your lot and just grow old with dignity. Both are wrong.

Wanting to be young again has little to do with narcissism and everything to do with staying relevant and giving your all in the short time we have on earth. It's about welcoming change, being open to others, taking risks and having fun along the way. It's also about caring for your own personal growth so that you can help others more effectively.

A few weeks ago, Tim Drake and I presented the main findings of our two year analysis on personal rejuvenation to a high level business audience in Manchester. All were in agreement. Being successful in business, as in life, needs young thinking - it needs leaders to have Young Brains.

One company director, only 38 years old, spoke up. "I consider myself young, especially compared to others around me. I now realise that I, myself, have got older than I thought. There is definitely room for me to rejuvenate".

But it's not only business people who benefit from rejuvenation. Tim and I also spoke to a well-known millionaire who said to us: " I think the concept is brilliant. I have a relatively young brain but it is getting younger by the day now!"

Meanwhile, we have given our book 'You Can Be As Young As You Think' to two long-time BBC TV presenters, Mark Ellen (Old Grey Whistle Test) and Peter Duncan (Blue Peter). Both are Young Brains. And both agree with rejuvenation to such an extent that they've gracefully written respective recommendations on the back cover of our book.

So wanting to be young is not about egotistical vanity. People want and need to rejuvenate - be they business persons, millionaires, celebrities or, indeed, people like you and me.

Paradox is the friend of Young Brains

Yes, there is a great temptation for people to slip into defeatist, Old Brained, thinking especially in tough times like these. This has to be fought hard against.

One of the key issues in times of uncertainty is the ability to be able to cope with paradox and over-abundance of choice. Faced with this, Older Brains tend to give into the temptation to sink into a comfort zone where they pretend that uncertainty and complexity don't exist and where everything is black and white. And usually more black than white.

The point is that this leads to anxiety, negative thinking, and a general giving up on the world today. In abandoning the rich, multicoloured tapestry of life, they start to accept limitations and eventually death.

The reality is that we live in incredibly exciting and challenging times, and it matters a lot that we get into gear and want to make a difference. Getting back to Young Brained thinking - especially for young people - is crucial to re-energising ourselves to take on the challenges.

In doing so, complexity and paradox become accepted as an inherent part of a complicated and richly textured world.