April 2008

There’s a difference between interest and commitment.  When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient.  When you’re commited to something, you accept no excuses; only results. - Kenneth Blanchard

True story.  Once there was a skinny, awkward kid from New Jersey named Eugene Orowitz.  He was painfully shy and very self-conscious.  Although Eugene greatly lacked self-confidence, when a high school coach half-jokingly asked him to try out for the track team, Eugene took him up on it.

“Ugy,” as his friends affectionately called him, fell in love with javelin throwing and commited himself to being the best that he could possibly be.  What Ugy lacked in self-confidence, he made up for in commitment.

By the time he graduated high school, Eugene had achieved a national High School record (for throwing the javelin 211 yards).  His commitment to being the best also bought him a college track scholarship in sunny California!

A torn shoulder muscle ended his javelin-throwing career and any hope of making the Olympic team.  However, while watching a play, Ugy fell in love with acting.  So, again, he commited himself to being the best he could be.  He was determined to make it in the ridiculously over-crowded acting field, so he enrolled in acting class.

Eugene Orowitz, better known as Michael Landon, went on to star in three of the most popular shows in television history:  Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, and Highway to Heaven.

More Quotes about Commitment

*Information from Speaker’s Sourcebook II by Glen Van Ekeren

Keep in mind that winners are people who are willing to do the things losers refuse to do - even when they don’t want to. - Glenn Van Ekeren

Things like..

• Getting up an hour earlier
• Getting to work early
• Studying longer than you have to
• Asking questions when you don’t have the answers
• Staying at the office after everyone else has left
• Working out for 45 minutes instead of 20
• Calling on the client no one else wants to
• Smiling on the outside when the inside’s frowning
• Turning the television off and reading a book
• Learning somethng new every day
• Going two extra miles
• Doing something unexpectedly kind for someone else
• Not shining a spotlight on your kind deed and wanting nothing in return

I’ve never met animal I didn’t love to death and want to take home with me.  I guess that’s why I’m infamous for gleefully feeding anything and everything - from our own 4 cats (of course) to possums, raccoons, rabbits, birds, and skunks.  I even saw a coyote not long ago that I normally would have offered a little somethin’ somethin’ to, but I didn’t think the aforementioned group would appreciate this dinner companion.

So, there, my secret’s out.  When I’m not hanging with my family, cooking, working online, shopping, or Starbucks-ing, I can be found somewhere near an animal - feeding, watching, and simply enjoying their company.  Granted, I don’t get too near the skunks that come by for visits - we visit through the back door window, kind of like they’re little prisoners that I’ve come to visit.  Oh…wait…I’m the one inside, aren’t I?  Forget that analogy.

As much as I love all animals, from polar bears to possums, my precious cats, of course, mean the most to me. 

If I see a book that has animals on its mind, I grab it and devour each and every word. My most recent literary lunch was a great book, Ask Your Animal, by Marta Williams (Author of Learning Their Language.) 

This female Dr. Doolittle and amazing author fascinates me.  She’s kind of a Dr. Phil for animals!  How’s that working for you?

I’ll be honest, I haven’t read her other books, yet.  However, after loving every single sentence of Ask Your Animal, I plan on reading everything she’s ever written or ever will write.

While reading, I lost count of the number of times I thought to myself, “She really understands animals!” The writing is superb - extremely informative, yet written in a personable and friendly manner.  You feel as though you’re spending time with an expert who happens to be your best friend.

From CHAPTER 2 “To Hear and Be Heard”

People often call to ask me to tell their animal something using my intuitive communication skills.  They are surprised when I say that they don’t have to hire me to talk to their animal.  It is something they can do themselves quite easily, because animals are masters at intuitive communication, and they will receive every message sent to them.  If you talk out loud to your animal, your message is received.  If you think thoughts to or about your animal, your animal perceives those thoughts.  Unfortunately, this also means that it’s impossible to keep anything secret from your animal.  Think about how many times your cat has disappeared just as you decided to get the cat carrier!  Even a pictured formed in your mind can be perceived by your animal, such as when your dog reacts with glee just as you think about going for a walk.

I think the truth in the words above explain why I get along so well with animals.  They know I wouldn’t harm them for anything in the world, and I’m certain they pick up on that.  They know I just want to give them food, fresh water, and a place to sleep and stay dry. 

This type of instinct keeps animals safe and has kept them around for us to enjoy for countless years…yes even possums.

The book not only gives insight into why animals do some of the things they do, it also gives great advice on how to handle a lot of the things we wish they didn’t do.  Things such as inappropriate cat urinating, animals that don’t like to be touched, agression, animals that balk at getting in the car, dogs who jump up on people, etc., etc.

Just as new parents have always turned to Dr. Spock, animal parents really need this book, and it doesn’t matter how old your pet is or how long you’ve had him.  You can still learn to communicate better with him! 

I love this story:

Henry Kissinger asked an aide to prepare a report for him. The aide toiled away until his report was finished.  Not long after receiving the report, Mr. Kissinger returned it to the aide with a note that read, “Redo it.”

The aide worked day and night and redid the report.  Again, it was delivered to Mr. Kissinger, who, again, returned it with the same note.

The diligent aide redid the report and asked to see Mr. Kissinger, himself, face to face.  After handing over the report, the aide told him, “I have completed this report three times, and this is the best job I can do.” 

Kissinger replied, “In that case, I’ll read it now.”

I’d say the moral of the story is to never, ever, ever settle for less than the best - from anyone else OR from yourself.  Yes, even if you have to make an arse of yourself.

By the by, I apologize for the infrequent posts lately - I’ve been busy dodging some pretty heavy spitballs from life for one thing.  For another, I’ve been redoing TMFC and working on Self Help Daily’s Articles Section.

When it comes to staying young, a mind lift beats a face lift any day. - Marty Bucella

I preach the importance of staying mentally active as often as I drink coffee, and believe me when I say through coffee breath, “That’s saying something.” 

About a year ago, I hurt my ankle while saving my cats from a playful pit bull.  I had to stay off of my feet for quite a while, and even when I was mobile again, it was slow going for weeks.  When the ankle finally decided to man up, I found that my legs were SO weak that short walks left me with jello knees.  I remember having to sit on a park bench as squirrels laughed at me.  Not a personal best for me.

Every part of us, every single thing that goes into making us who we are (from our heart to our heels) needs a steady diet of attention, challenges, and strengthening.  If we neglect anything, it’ll neglect us.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER is this more true than it is for our minds.  That’s why I often stop right smack in the middle of a particularly gruelling day and smile.  I’m getting a mental workout and believe me I need all of those I can get!  We should all look for as many ways to challenge ourselves mentally as possible.  The article below (it continues after the link at the end) is a great source of ideas and inspiration.  Read through the author’s suggestions, then pluck out the ways you’ll start improving and strengthening your own mind.

When you make mental fitness a priority, you’ll be able to see the effects almost immediately.  Enjoy the article!

 Re-Energize Your Brain!

We all use tools in our work, and all of these tools need to be re-energized in some way over time. They need to be polished, sharpened, refurbished. They need new spark plugs or a tune up. Some times they even need new batteries.  We take these maintenance tasks seriously because we know that when the batteries are fully charged we get the full potential out of electrical devices and when the machinery has been maintained it lasts longer and works more economically. Doesn’t it make sense then to do some regularly scheduled maintenance on our brain - a tool far more valuable than the rest?  It happens to all of us. We get in ruts, we build routines and we develop habits, and in doing so we often don’t use our brain the way we could. It is one of our most valuable and precious resources and it is time to re-energize it. Here then are eight ways you can re-energize, re-invigorate and do some ongoing maintenance for your brain.
1. Ask Why? Our brains are wired to be curious. As we grow up and “mature” many of us stifle or deny our natural curiosity. Let yourself be curious! Wonder to yourself about why things are happening. Ask someone in the know. The best way to exercise our curiosity is by asking “Why?” Make it a new habit to ask “why?” at least 10 times a day. Your brain will be happier and you will be amazed at how many opportunities and solutions will show up in your life and work.

2.  Laugh.  Scientists tell us that laughter is good for our health; that it releases endorphins and other positively powerful chemicals into our system. We don’t really need scientists to tell us that it feels good to laugh. Laughing helps us reduce stress and break old patterns, too. So laughter can be like a “quick-charge” for our brain’s batteries. Laugh more, and laugh harder.

3.  Remember.  Get out an old photo album or high school yearbook. Your brain is a memory machine, so give it a chance to work! Spend time with your memories. Let your mind reflect on them and your mind will repay you in positive emotions and new connections from the memories to help you with your current tasks and challenges.

4 .Do a puzzle. Some of us like jigsaw puzzles, some crossword puzzles, some logic puzzles - it really doesn’t matter kind you choose to do. Doing puzzles in your free time is a great way to activate your brain and keep it in good working condition. Do the puzzle for fun, but do it knowing you are exercising your brain. 

Continue Reading Re-Energize Your Brain for the last 4 great ideas!

I have no idea what I ever did to the month of April, but she’s exacting her revenge so craftily I can’t help being impressed.

The comment function on Self Help Daily hasn’t been working for a few days, apparently.  It could have been longer - which, of course would mean I’d pi$$ed off March somewhere along the way as well.  At any rate, I’ve taken care of the problem and you can once again leave comments.  If you have a blog, you might want to check the spam plugin you’re using - it may have gone boobs up like ours.  If so, I offer my condolences and recommend —–UPDATE - I don’t have one to recommend…it messed up, too. ***

What makes this little problem all the more impressive is that I now have to do the grunt work to fix the problem on the rest of our blogs - as well as the business blogs we host.  Suffice to say, my Friday’s pretty much accounted for.  But it’s all good.  My beee-utiful daughters and I are going to have a nice authentic Mexican lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, on the river in downtown Owensboro.  Then we’ll swing by Starbucks and grab some special drinks that make Joi happy, happy, happy.

Then, with drink in hand and smile on face I’ll get back to work.

It was almost funny, 5 minutes after learning about this problem, my husband found out that one of the business sites we host was down for the count.  April apparently thought the first string of problems she hurled my way weren’t quite enough….. So BAM!  Ah, she underestimated my crisis control skills.  The site was back up inside of 5 minutes. 

And that was without Starbucks.

An angry month isn’t going to rain on my parade!  If she tries anything else, I’ll sick one of my ninja cats on her.

*** Technology’s a biotch, Headaches are back, and I’m moving to Starbucks.

Do not look where you fell but where you slipped.  - Proverb

Advice, most excellent.

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I can’t believe I said that?!” - or, maybe, “I can’t believe I made such a mistake!“  If you’re human, you’ve been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.  I have my own collection of regret-tees.  They never fit that well, do they?

If we were to stop looking at the mistake and search out the root of the mistake (or as our proverb says, the place we slipped), not only would we understand the fall better, we’d be better equipped to watch out for the next banana peel.

Personally, I’m convinced that it all begins in the mind, with a single unexpected thought.

We’re going about our daily life, probably minding our own business, when an uninvited, negative, and even unwelcomed thought enters our head.  It catches us at a weak moment, so we don’t shut the door in his face - we actually invite him in.  We even allow him to have his say while we sit and listen.  This is, of course, the point where we seal our own fate.

Once its been given the floor, the thought grows and grows. The longer we allow it to stick around, the more we feed and nourish it.  It’s like an unwanted house guest - if we keep feeding it and giving it a warm place to sleep, it’ll never leave!

A few of the most common Slip-Inducing thoughts are:

• “It’s not fair!” - This one plays on our ego and our sense of self.  It’ll crop up just when it knows we’re vulnerable.  Right around the time the boss pats someone else on the back, we’ll start thinking, “I’m as important around here as she is, where’s my pat?”  The thought will grow in size and become, “Where’s my *$&# ?!” It isn’t long before total resentment sets in with a “fall” in its wake.  The setting is ripe at this point for words to be said that you’ll regret.  The trick is to cut that first thought off at the knees.  When it shows up with its pity party in a box, stop it in its tracks by saying you’re happy for your co-worker and plan to even give her a pat on the back, yourself. 
• He’s not good enough for my daughter! / She’s not good enough for my son!  Okay, who is?  In all seriousness, this type of thought causes more friction and disharmony in families than we could even get into.  No one is a winner when one family member decides to close their mind against another.  It’s a no win situation that will only lead to fall after fall after fall.  Guess what, we don’t ALL have to like ALL of our family or in-laws, but if we keep harping on negative thoughts and comments, we’ll be the one that isn’t liked.  By anyone.  Replace the negative thoughts with positive ones.  Instead of, “He doesn’t make enough money…” - focus on how me makes your daughter laugh.  If she doesn’t mind the money, why should you?!  (When we were first married and money was as sparse as the hair on Elmer Fudd’s head, I honestly can’t remember ever caring! They were some of the funnest days of my life.)
• I remember when he said…  Not good.  Not even remotely good.  If anyone has so much time on their hands that they go back in the past to stir up trouble, it’s PAST time to get a hobby or two or twelve.  When you catch your mind trying to dial into a ”Somebody Done Me Wrong” song, change the channel.  Bitterness hurts you far more than it does the person you think wronged you.  Let go of it before it leads to a fall that’ll hurt far worse than the original scratch.

Always look at where you slipped in the first place.  Then do everything in your power to avoid another slip and another fall. 

The following passage is from one of my favorite authors of all time, Greenville Kleiser.  These particular nuggets of wisdom are from his 1917 book, “Inspiration and Ideals.”  The words pretty much blow smack through the village of Gonna-Do. (I’m gonna do this…I’m gonna do that…)  Some people never get past this point.  If they were high-divers, they’d get into their swimming suit, climb the ladder, walk out to the end of the diving board, look down into the water, turn around and go right back where they come from.

I’ve never figured out what causes some people to have a problem with this.  Is it fear of failure?  Uncertainty?  Doubt? Whatever it is, it keeps them from making the splash they would if they’d simply jump in!

Here are Greenville Kleiser’s words of wisdom - they may be old, but they’re also pure gold.

Put your principles into practice.  What you do, not what you say, is the essential thing.  Dormant aspirations are of value only as they are translated into acts.  Transform your desires into deeds, your resolutions into results.

Your personal powers are made up chiefly of principles, ideals, desires, and resolutions.  The specific way in which you use these powers in your daily life largely determines your degree of success.

Give earnest attention to these vital things, apply them intelligently, and you will go forward to inevitable achievement.

Click HERE for a great poem by Mr. Kleiser!