In this episode of Escape Plan TV, filmed in Scottsdale, Arizona, Kim and Jason demonstrate several fun and exciting ways to annihilate the Adultitis in your life. The ideas are all based on the world-famous Escape Plan.

The duo goes on a photo safari to find the most childlike place in town and end up at the Pinnacle Peak Patio, a place where neckties are never safe!

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Learn how to bring Kim & Jason in to speak to your group
for a dynamic, entertaining presentation about living life with less stress
and more fun that won’t soon be forgotten!

Technorati Tags: escape plan tv, stress, escape adulthood, Adultitis, Kim & Jason, Pinnacle Peak Patio, Scottsdale, Arizona, ties, pork chops, cowboys

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Do you have any fun Halloween-themed photos? Enter them in the Lemonade Stand Photo Contest and you could win a $20 gift certificate. The photos that date back a decade or several stand the best chance of winning, but we’re also looking for creativity, humor, and good ol’ nostalgia. (You can view the past winners here.)

Hurry — the entry deadline is Sunday, September 30th!

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One of the most challenging things to do in baseball is hit a curve ball. Especially the nasty ones. When I played ball in high school, we used to practice with whiffle balls to try and get used to the spin and trajectory of the pitch. But nothing compared to the real thing.

In the heat of the battle, the eyes of the spectators are on you. If a strong, tall lefty unleashes a big bender, your mind suddenly goes into decision-by-committee mode. Your upper body lunges forward, eager to pounce on the offering that is slower than a fastball. Your knees buckle, as if to say, “Mayday! Mayday! It’s coming right for us!” Meanwhile, your feet turn into cement blocks, paralyzed by indecision.

Best case scenario, you take a pretty good cut at the ball, maybe even put it into play. Worst case scenario, you look like a drunk gardener with spaghetti arms trying to whack a wasp with a rake.

When you travel the country speaking to audiences about using strategies from childhood to bring about less stress, you put yourself in a challenging position. Sure, you have lots of people looking at you, admiring your wit and insights. But on the other hand, you have lots of people looking at you. You’d better be walking the talk.

I heard Dr. Sue Morter say that you never have to worry about walking the talk if you just talk the walk. I like that.

Crafting speeches, writing books, and espousing theories is like using whiffle balls to practice hitting a curve ball. It’s a good start, but it’s what happens during the game that counts.

And no matter what field you’re in, the game of life throws you a lot of curve balls.

So it really comes at no surprise that as Kim and I find ourselves smack dab in the middle of “crazy time” (a 27-day, 11 speaking gig, 5-state stretch in which we’re home for less than 4 days, with a wedding thrown in to boot), a few curve balls would come our way. Stress is coming in spades, and how we handle it is the real test.

I should’ve known we’d be in trouble when Kim mentioned on Sunday night that she needed everything to go perfectly this week for everything to get done. We woke up the next morning to discover that our car had been the victim of a hit-and-run, to the tune of $2,500 in damage.

Hello, curve ball.

Well, we were not exactly thrilled about this turn of events, but then again, you can’t hope to have any credibility talking about handling stress if you melt down when the going gets tough. So we vented, took a deep breath, and moved forward. We thanked God no one was hurt. We laughed about the irony in timing between Kim’s comment and the incident. We’ve managed to figure out what to do about transportation in a week that involves two road trips, while still attempting to purge as much as our to-do lists as possible. But we’re not driving ourselves to the bone. We had a nice dinner at Chili’s Monday night to support a good cause and we took time out to watch the season premieres of Heroes and CSI: Miami, two of our favorite shows. On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to visit my grandma in the nursing home and have a nice dinner with my parents.

We’re trying to keep laughing, not take ourselves too seriously, exhibit a childlike faith that everything will work out in the end, and keep in mind that in less than a month, we’ll probably forget this week ever happened. And my childlike curiosity is eager to find out what good will come out of this annoying situation. Interestingly enough, Kim had a nice conversation with the person from Enterprise Rent-A-Car who picked her up. They got talking about their jobs. Long story short, the woman happened to be the manager, was enamored to hear about Adultitis and how we help companies individuals deal with stress, and there may be an opportunity to do some work for Enterprise in the future.

If you ask me, an opportunity like that certainly is worth a $250 deductible and a temporary inconvenience. You can’t control what happens to you, but you can always control how you react. Being negative and focusing on the problem can sometimes cause you to miss an opportunity. Sometimes you just need to slow down and step back to see the bigger picture.

Life will throw you curve balls, and no matter who you are, people are watching, be it your kids, employees, or biggest fans. I guess the lesson is that if you keep a childlike spirit about you, you’ll have a better chance of not looking like a drunk gardener with spaghetti arms.

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Every Thursday, we pick out one of the cool things from the Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand and give it away.

This week’s prize is a Balloon Modeling Kit. If you’ve ever wanted to be able to make an elephant out of a balloon — and let’s be honest, who hasn’t? — this kit is your ticket! It contains everything you need to create your own fantastic balloon sculptures, including 30 balloons, a balloon pump, and full instructions.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Just leave a comment on this post, answering this week’s question: “If you were a balloon animal, what kind of balloon animal would you be?”
2. Deadline for entries is 11:59 pm CST on the day of the post. We’ll pick a winner from the list of comments sometime on the following Friday.
3. We’ll contact the winner by e-mail to find out where to send the free prize.

Good luck! And don’t miss any of the other cool stuff for the young at heart at The Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand!

UPDATE: This week’s winner was Katie Baird. Stay tuned next week for the next chance to win!

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Adultitis affects billions of people across the world. When left unchecked, it can downright ruin lots of otherwise festive occasions, including birthdays. The Cure Adultitis Institute has released another case study documenting the serious nature of this deadly condition. Watch this video, but be warned: it’s pretty depressing.

Adultitis always is.

Don’t forget to send this video on to all of the people you care about. And the test is just a click away.

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If you had lived in the 1800’s, would you have been an explorer? Jason and I watched a very cool IMAX movie about the Grand Canyon during our visit there last week. (Here are some pictures from our trip, by the way.)

The movie gave a history of some of the canyon’s explorers, including a certain Civil War veteran, John Wesley Powell. In 1869 he heroically lead a famous boat expedition through the gorge. He and his crew of nine men tackled the Colorado River in four small wooden boats.

Yikes, Powell! What were you thinking?

Powell, a one-armed Army Major, and his men were the first to ever make this trip successfully. Talk about having the curiosity and adventurous spirit of a child!

The part that really stuck out to me was towards the end of their expedition, although they didn’t know it was almost the end. They had gotten through some crazy rough rapids, leaving the men frazzled and frightened. Discussions were happening about the sanity of continuing the journey, knowing their lives were in real danger. A few of the men had made up their minds that it would be nuts for them to keep going. They were done with the whole “almost dying” thing again and again. Powell and a handful of his men gallantly decided to keep going. They had come so far. It was a sad departure, as both groups of men feared for the other group’s safety.

The end of the story is very interesting. The next treacherous section of the river that Powell conquered was the last patch of danger they would face. Meanwhile the men who walked away, fearful of the waves before them, were never seen or heard from again.

Here Powell and his sidekicks conquer the gorge, eventually being the ones to name it the Grand Canyon, and the other men were most likely killed by animals or nomads. No one knows for sure. Doesn’t that just stink for the men who walked away? Initially, they seemed like they were the smart ones, walking away from the certain danger. Yet, they based their decision to stop on fear. Ironically it was more dangerous for them to abandon ship.

Have you ever made a decision (of action or inaction) based on fear?

I’ve seen any examples of this, and I’m sure you have too. I know someone who moved into a small and more high-maintenance house because she thought she was going to be laid off from her job. Thirty years later, and no lay off yet. She still drives by that house with regrets of what could’ve been.

I know of a number of elderly people who grew up during The Great Depression who lived their lives in fear surrounding their finances. Many hoarded money all over their houses, fearful of trusting banks, and sadly died with thousands of dollars unspent due to fear.

I know a man who was fearful of flying. This fear prevented him from visiting his children and grandchildren because it took so long to drive across the country, which became increasingly difficult with his age and health. He missed out on many memories and occasions, all based on fear.

How is fear impacting you? Do you need to stick it out for a while longer? Do you need to walk away from something?

There may only be one rough patch of water left before you get there. Conquer your fear.

Technorati Tags: John Wesley Powell. The Great Depression, Grand Canyon, Colorado River, fear

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The S.W.E.L.L. (Supremely Wonderful & Exciting Loot Lottery) prize winner for September is Club K&J member Marci Jezierski! Marci wins a very limited edition (only one exists in the whole world) Kim & Jason canvas print, featuring the duo jumping into a pile of autumn leaves. Printed on ultra-thick, textured canvas using UV-resistant archival inks, it’s like having an original painting to hang right in the living room. Congrats, Marci!

Do YOU wanna have a chance to win next month’s S.W.E.L.L. prize? Become an official Club K&J subscriber today!

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I’m not sure it’s possible to explain the Grand Canyon experience in words. Or pictures. Or anything else, for that matter. Talk about an escape from adulthood and all its worries and stresses!

The ride north from Phoenix was a treat in and of itself. We took the “scenic” route through Prescott, Jerome, and Sedona. In the desert, the cacti looked like prickly green fingers pointing to the bright blue sky. As our elevation increased, the rock formations reminded me of old men with wrinkled faces and sunburned cheeks, looking over the pine trees standing at full attention like a million green soldiers. And Sedona’s horizon was set ablaze by its famous fiery red rocks.

But all of that was just an appetizer for the spectacle that was to come. I have never had such little use for a camera in my life. Oh sure, I took a zillion photos, but every glance at the viewfinder after each shot left me terribly disappointed.

It was fascinating to see everyone else furiously trying to record the experience, too. It made me smile at our humanness. So tremendously overwhelmed at the site before us, we struggled to let our cameras capture what words could not. But it was all in vain; capturing the beauty, the breadth, the brilliance of the Grand Canyon with a camera is like trying to recite the alphabet with only two letters. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then it’s about nine hundred, ninety-nine thousand short.

We were lucky to have many highlights in our short stay. Among them being the chance to see the sunset and the sunrise over a natural wonder that may be known for its sculpted rock formations, but trust me, the light is the real superstar. And as the sun was setting, a light rain fell in the canyon, revealing one of the most brilliant rainbows I have ever seen.

We had a chance to watch an IMAX movie about the Grand Canyon — the most watched IMAX movie of all time — and during it, the narrator pondered the canyon’s mysterious origins. “Did it come from the hand God, or was it a work of nature?” he asked, curiously. Those sorts of questions always make me laugh. As if it’s an either/or proposition. Who do they think created nature?

A night earlier, after I had finished giving the keynote presentation at the Catholic Cemetery Convention (one of my most interesting gigs, to be sure) Kim and I took the opportunity to do some stargazing. The Marriott offered the complimentary experience, hosted by a real-life astrologist with a pretty nice telescope. We got to see the moon up close and personal, and Jupiter and a few of its moons, too.

Between the the stars and the Canyon, I don’t believe I have ever felt so small, or so sure of the existence of God. Sometimes I wonder why He bothers at all with the human race, but then again His ways are not my ways; His overwhelming creation testifies to that.

Experiences like standing on the top of the mountain, sitting on the edge of the Grand Canyon, or gazing into the starry depths of the universe really bring me back to childhood. It was that time when everything was new, and big, and awesome. Curiosity was limitless; you could never know enough. As we get older, we often take on this cocky, unimpressionable, I’ve-seen-everything attitude.

Nature — God’s nature — has the ability to knock us off our pedestal to remind us that we are not as big as we think we are, but also to assure us that there is an order to everything. And that even in the desert, there is life, and there is hope.

Technorati Tags: Arizona, Grand Canyon, faith, nature, God, creation

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About every other year or so, while channel surfing, I happen upon Marlo Thomas talking about St. Jude Research Hospital. Like a Wisconsinite to cheese curds, I am inevitably drawn in for the next hour, and left sitting on my couch crying my eyes out.

Am I the only one?

Well, Jason and I have both had these experiences together, which is why we eventually picked St. Jude as one of our Big 6 Charities. Kids should not have to suffer illness and pain. Period. One of our goals is to someday write them a $1,000,000 check. We believe strongly in their fight against these fatal diseases that too often tragically steal away the childhoods of innocent kids.

Ever wish YOU had a million dollars to help sick kids?

Well, I have a way for 25,000 of us to be able to do just that. All we have to do is go to eat at Chili’s on Monday, Sept. 24th and spend $40.00. (That will add up to 1 million dollars!) They are generously donating 100% of their profits that entire day to St. Jude. So, even if you go and spend $5, every cent will go straight to helping kids. So cool!

It’s all part of a bigger vision…

Chili’s hopes to raise $5 million through this year’s campaign which will go toward its $50 million, 10 year plan to fund the Chili’s Care Center, a state-of-the-art research and clinical building. Opening on the St. Jude campus in November 2007, the building will house St. Jude’s Department of Radiological Sciences, the national Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC), inpatient beds and activity areas and new research laboratories. To date, Chili’s has raised more than $10.5 million for the hospital.

So, start making your plans. Get a group together and have a fun meal at Chili’s on Monday!!!

You rock, Chili’s!

Technorati Tags: St. Jude Research Hospital, Chili’s, Monday, September 24

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The Thursday Giveaway is a tradition that has been going on at the Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand for well over a year now. It had consisted of a free prize being given away to a random person who placed an order on a Thursday. Starting this week, we’re shaking things up a bit. We’re still gonna give away some cool stuff, but we’re not requiring an order to be eligible.

This week’s prize is a set of Little Missmatched shoelaces. These stylin’ shoelaces come in sets of three so you can switch ‘em up anytime you feel like it.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Just leave a comment on this post, answering this week’s question: “What is something you do to escape adulthood that involves your feet?”
2. Deadline for entries is 11:59 pm CST on the day of the post. We’ll pick a winner from the list of comments sometime on the following Friday.
3. We’ll contact the winner by e-mail to find out where to send the free prize.

Good luck! And don’t miss any of the other cool stuff for the young at heart at The Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand!

UPDATE: This week’s winner was RodeoClown. Stay tuned next week for the next chance to win!

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Remember Jeff Foxworthy’s, “You might be a redneck if…”? Classic! Recently in our speaking gigs we have started helping audiences identify their Adultitis by giving some examples in a similar way. For instance, you might have Adultitis if… you consider your cell phone a body part. You might have Adultitis if… it’s dark when you leave home in the morning and it’s dark when you get home, and you don’t live in Alaska.

This last one is quite an issue. I happened upon an article talking about the trend of commuters leaving earlier and earlier, while also leaving work later in the day to avoid the traffic, only to find themselves pulling 12-13 hr. days.

Adultitis, much?

In 2000, 1 worker in 9 was out the door by 6 a.m., the new data says; by 2006, it was 1 in 8. That might not seem like a big change, but it has put more than 2.7 million additional drivers — for a total of 15 million — on pre-dawn patrol.

On paper it makes sense to beat the rush and feel less stressed. In reality, however, lifestyles are becoming more stressed because of the adjustments that need to be made in order to accomodate to this shift… earlier bedtimes (taking away from evening down-time and relaxation), later dinners (leading to a more stressful and shortened family-time), and a decrease in exercise due to the lack of free time. All of this is done in an effort to avoid the stress of the commute. What a mess. It’s a vicsous cycle of stress.

One woman featured in the article said that she has to leave home at 6AM and doesn’t leave work until 6PM, to avoid the traffic. She has a two-year-old daughter and her and her husband are unsure about having more children, because of the challenge in taking care of one. They depend on her parents and in-laws to watch the little one. They’ve learned to build the long days into their lifestyle.

“We just try and make it work,” she says. “My husband is very supportive of my career. He’s offered to move close to my workplace, but I just really enjoy where we live.”

It sounds like she hardly has time to actually live there. Looks like a classic case of living for the weekends.

Another example in the article was much more refreshing. A guy from NJ leaves at 5:15AM each morning to get into Manhatton for work, but instead of going right to work he goes running in Central Park, then to the gym to work out and shower, all before arriving at work at nine. He is a marathon runner and uses this early morning time to train. He shares,

“I could’ve chosen the path of ‘woe is me’ and fight the traffic and let it destroy my life. Instead, I’ve turned it around and made it a positive for my health and a hobby I enjoy greatly.”

How refreshing!

You can bring positive things from the challenges in your day-to-day life. Jason and I met a great couple from LA last year who has made it their mission to provide “Practical Audio Training for People on the Go.” Check out Freeway Guides. They are encouraging people to use that commute time for self-improvement. You can also learn a second language, or even catch up on your favorite podcast.

The lesson here is simple. YOU are in charge of your life. If it’s a stressed-out mess, it’s time to stop blaming your circumstances and start moving towards change.

What does your daily schedule look like?
Are you finding a good balance between work, family and alone time?
What can you do to take more control of your life, for the good of your health and sanity, as well as your relationships?

Technorati Tags: Jeff Foxworthy, Freeway Guides, commute, stress, traffic

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Kim and I are in Arizona this week. It’s hotter than the inside of an Easy Bake Oven.

After a speaking engagement in Scottsdale on Sunday, as I signed books for busy moms and teased little kids, I noticed an elderly woman standing quietly in the background. She looked like she was waiting for the crowd to clear out. Once the activity level died down, she and her walker made their way over to the table where I was sitting. “I want to share a story with you,” she said eagerly.

Dorthy was her name, and she informed me matter-of-factly that she was eighty. Her wispy, silver hair framed her plump face and sparkling eyes.

“Ten years ago, I thought I was going to die,” she started. “So I made a list of all the things I thought I was going to do ’some day.’ One by one, I started doing them, you know, the things we always say we’re going to do, like visiting someone, making a phone call, writing a letter.”

One of the things Dorothy decided to do was book a flight to meet her brother for lunch. They didn’t see each other very much; he never had the time and she never had the money. He picked her up at the airport and he took a half day off (”He never does that!”). They had a delightful lunch with his wife and family.

“My brother is kind of a workaholic. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why I was there,” she said. “I told him, ‘I’m here because I love you and I wanted to spend time with you.’ It was probably the best gift I could have ever given him.”

“And then I surprised my husband when I told him we were going to Hawaii,” she continued. “‘What?! You’re crazy!’ he said. ‘People like us don’t go to Hawaii.’”

A year later, they were in Hawaii.

And I could see the childlike joy shine from her eyes as she described traveling to Italy for the opera, another life-long dream. “It was so wonderful!” she exclaimed. “They so love their opera over there. The old theater was beautiful, so opulent — and it was even an opera I knew!”

“I had so much fun doing all of those things,” Dorothy continued. “I’m sure it was one of the reasons I was cured.”

Now just minutes earlier, I had been encouraging a roomful of people to make the most of their days, slowing down enough to appreciate life’s captivating details, and being brave enough to chase their dreams. But if everyone had the chance to hear Dorothy tell her story and see firsthand the effervescent life in her blue eyes, my words wouldn’t be needed.

And I’d be fine with it.

But instead, most people work late into the night, rushing around like pinballs in a noisy arcade game, desperately trying to keep up with an impossible standard, even though something deep inside yearns for something different. Sadly, it often takes a doctor telling you that your days are numbered before you begin to make some changes.

And that’s if you’re lucky enough to get a warning.

I am more certain than ever that God intended our lives here on earth to be more like the one Dorothy described: exciting, invigorating, and filled with moments of wondrous awe and giddy delight.

I think that when we get to heaven, it might be like returning home from a long trip. The angels and the saints will crowd around us, eager to hear the tales of our life. “Who did you meet? Who captured your heart? What did you see? Wasn’t the sunset over the ocean great? How impressive was that opera?” These are the questions they’ll ask us, and they’ll even be patient and sincere enough to want to see all our pictures and watch all of our home movies.

How sad would it be for them to hear you respond, “People like me don’t do that sort of stuff.”

Whatever is in your heart to do, do it. Write that letter. Make that call. Take that trip. Helen Keller was right when she said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”

Live life daringly. You only get one.

Technorati Tags: life list, Helen Keller, daring adventure, life choices

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