Do You Believe New Year's Resolutions Work?

When asked what my realistic
goals were for the new year, 
it brought up my dislike for 
New Year's resolutions.  

Even though I may have good
intentions, making a New Year's 
resolution rarely  works. 
The stats prove it.

I am a driven, motivated, hard-working woman who has daily, weekly, and monthly 

goals.  And I beat myself up severely if I don't attain those goals.  I am known to push 
myself to the limit to complete a task.  I run a few businesses and also travel
as a speaker which leaves me no choice but to be organized and focused.  In addition, 
my talk show and book tours are founded on the concept of never ever giving up.  
This is why I only make realistic goals that I know I can attain.

Do Most People Expect a Calm Before the Storm?

We have all heard the idiom There is always a calm before the storm.

Think about that for a moment.  What it suggests is that if things are going a bit too smoothly or calmly, WATCH OUT.... The storm is about to emerge.  Many of us have experienced that, especially those of us who seem to go through periods in our lives when everything seems to be going wrong - one thing after the other.

Many of us have heard this expression our whole lives and consequently have expected the negative scenario to happen.

When things are going too well, someone might say, "Just waiting for the storm to hit -- it always does!"  And...sure enough, if we wait long enough, everything goes south. 

  

Do You Need a Dose of Inspiration?

This inspirational story has been around social media for some time but I do not know it's origin.  I can guarantee you that the story will cause you to pause and think about how you look at and approach your own life.  Take a moment to read and share it. How much easier our lives would be if we all approached it with eyes wide open.

How Do You Motivate Yourself?

We all experience many types of external motivation which can look nothing like a motivational pep talk. 

Actually, most of the motivation we receive is not obvious. We rely on friends, books, family, luck, achievements and social pressures to tell us what to do and to keep us doing it.

Customer Service Sells - Make it Work for You

Many of us have lived long enough to see a decline in customer service.  When I was growing up and even as a young adult, serving a customer was more important than the sale itself. It was common knowledge that if you made a customer happy, he would return, again and again.  Remember when you went to the service station to get gas?  You got SERVICE. Someone filled your gas tank, cleaned your windshield, rear window and side windows.  Your oil was checked and your tires were checked as well.  You were offered the free item of the week, usually drinking glasses or coffee mugs.  

No matter what you are selling, you need to distinguish yourself as a personal service company. The strength of your company’s business should be the quality of your products, but your success is determined by the quality of service you provide.

Sure-fire Way To Handle Discouragement

Do you ever get discouraged?  The definition of discouragement is 1) the act of making something less likely to happen or of making people less likely to do something 2)  a feeling of having lost hope or confidence

Find someone to make you smile

If that is the definition of discouragement, then what is the definition of encouragement?  It is 1) the act of making something more appealing or more likely to happen 2) something that makes someone more determined, hopeful, or confident

The interesting thing about the definition of both words is that discouragement and encouragement are an act that WE do.  It is not done TO us.  We perform the act.  We choose to be discouraged in a situation or encouraged by it and make the decision to change it.

In our darkest times, we need to find something or someone who we know will make us smile. It helps change our perspective and view the situation rationally.

Quotes That Make You Go "Huh?"

I enjoy quotes.  Many of us do.  I like sharing quotes.  Many of us do.  I love quotes that underscore a point we are trying to make. 

It would be difficult to write a post about quotes without including some of my favorite dog quotes!  We are dog rescuers and therefore, dog lovers!

 

Do You Miss Any of These 49 Childhood Memories?

Merry Springtime!  Happy New Life!  Spring is a time for rebirth and new life.  We open our doors, smell the fresh air and new blossoms, hear the birds sing and children running and playing.  

What I woke up to today

In light of this, the Secret Subject challenge for this month is:  "If you could resurrect anything from your past what would it be and why?"

The first thing I thought of was my childhood.  I am so fortunate to have had a childhood where I was loved and cherished.  At the time I may have had my doubts, growing up in a very strict home.  But, life was so simple.  My grandchildren will never experience that simplicity even though their parents are 'old-school' minded. 

Growing up, my world was just that....my world.  We didn't know or very much care what was happening around the rest of the globe. Life was......uncomplicated.

Does Your Life Have a Restart Button?

A question was recently posed to me that I believe many of us have wondered about: 

In Stephen King's 11/22/63, the protagonist is asked to travel back in time to prevent JFK's assassination. If given the opportunity, what event in your own life or in history might you travel in time to change and what would your life afterward look like?

I must admit that I laughed out loud when I read this because I have had major traumas in my life and it would require me to live my life entirely over if I wanted to change even one of them.

Let's break it down a bit:  

1)  I  would not have married the man my parents and family warned me against.  If I had not married him then my life would have been a lot easier after the divorce.  I would not have been gang-raped and left for dead.  I would not have had my home completely destroyed by a gang of vandals.  I would not have had an emotional and physical breakdown.  

Even on that day, I was hiding my pain - knowing it was a mistake

What Life Lessons Did Your Father Teach You?

In a small German village on New Year's Eve 1903, my father, William Frederick, was born. He was the oldest of thirteen children. Life was challenging and after my father's brother was born, my grandfather traveled to the New World. Grandpa worked hard to save enough money to bring his family to America.

TRAVELING AS STOW-AWAYS

The day came when my Grandma and her two little boys could travel across the seas to unite with Grandpa and have a better life.   There was not enough money for the three of them to travel as passengers.  My dad and his brother were stowaways in the hull of the ship.  It was a three-week journey with little food for the boys to share.  My father was four years old and would go the kitchen and beg for the table scraps that had been thrown away.   Often, he was reprimanded for being there and not given anything to eat.

Go Ahead! Make My Day!

Have you ever wanted to say something when you observed bad behavior in a public place?  Ever take the plunge and open your mouth to encourage a stranger who needed it?

It had been an exceptionally long day.   The summer heat was close to unbearable. It was my third day in a row that I had risen at 4:15 A.M. to travel to the city by ferry.  I was on my way home and missed the ferry by a few minutes.  I decided to have some dinner as the wait would be two hours for the next boat.

It was a long walk to the closest restaurant and I hoped the food would give me the energy for the walk back to my car.  I stopped at a little fish 'n chips place.  It was packed with only one table

available.  I grabbed it and realized how much hotter it was inside, but it felt good to sit down.

Only One Waitress.  I couldn't believe it.  Ceiling fans were the only source of moving air and I was relieved to be sitting under one of them.

"Miss!  I need you to turn down those fans as they are much too drafty!"  The 'lady' in the booth next to mine demanded.

15 Unusual Tips for Success in 2016 from Unique Sources

Do you talk to animals?  Do they talk to you?  Having rescued over 30 dogs from a variety of negative circumstances, I have discovered they will tell you their story -- all you have to do it learn how to listen to them.  It is one of the unique pleasures of life.

They wanted you to know that there is much promise for 2016 and it can be an incredible year for you -- just follow their advice:

Find perfect balance in the company you keep

 Find shelter from the storm

20 Things You Said You Would Never Do

Be honest with me.  How many of you have said "I'll never be like that when I get old?"  All of us have fallen short in some form or another by doing the things we swore we would never do.

Most of us, who have children, made some hard and fast rules when we became parents.

"I will never yell at my children."  Come on, tell us, have you ever yelled at your kids?

"I will never allow my children to talk back to me."  Did you figure out a way to make them stop?

"I will be completely aware of where my child is at all times."  You own a leash?  Well, GPS is a good one.

"I will never allow my child to eat sugar."  So, what do you do, eat that candy bar while they watch?

Christmas - Sometimes the Best Laid Plans Take a Twist

It was Christmas 1979.  My husband, Paul, and I were headed to his family's home in northern Alberta, Canada. Coming from the West coast of the U S, I had not prepared for the brutal winter weather of the North. I didn't own a heavy winter jacket or gloves.  In the Northwest, we don't have a need for four distinct seasons in our wardrobes.  

We decided to drive straight through the night and arrive two days before Christmas.  That was the plan.  It would be nice to spend Christmas with family -- my family was on the other side of the country and traveling there was not feasible.

Paul preferred to drive at night with fewer cars on the road.  I could curl up in the passenger seat and sleep.  His secret was to eat salted sunflower seeds to keep awake. Paul has been a maniac behind the wheel as long as I have known him - some 45 years. He is an excellent driver, but Speeding is his middle name.  Although we hoped the roads would be fine, we never expected to run into a blizzard or......car trouble.  But we did - both.  We were driving through the Rocky Mountains; it was bitter cold and snowing hard.

I woke up the sound of the tires on gravel as Paul pulled onto the shoulder of the highway. "I have no idea what is wrong but I have to go get help or we will freeze to death."  This was the days before cell phones and at 2 A.M. you couldn't stick your thumb out and hitchhike.  

Moptop Mania -- Were You There?

As a teenager in the early 1960s, I was not allowed to listen to the trending Rock and Roll songs on the radio.  The songs were deemed as evil music so I had to hide from my parents if I wanted to listen to them. 

I would lie low in my clothes closet with my transistor radio glued to my ear.  Beatle mania was alive and well on the radio.  I loved every song, but my favorites were "Hey Jude," "All You Need is Love," "She Loves You," "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "Come Together," and "Yesterday."   Although I dreamed about it, I knew there was not a chance to ever see the Beatles live in concert.  

I continue to love their music and each song triggers a memory  -- most of them were memories of dating or breaking up with a boy. All these years later, the memories remain vivid.

Every Christmas, my daughter searches for concert tickets to give her dad and me as a gift. As lovers of classic Rock and Roll, we are thrilled.  In addition, she gifts us with dinner and a hotel room.  It is always an evening to remember.  

THE one concert that stands out above the rest was seeing the Beatles Tribute Band, Rain. I had no idea it would be as authentic as it turned out to be.  My hubby, who had been in a Rock and Roll band a hundred years ago, was astonished at how much they sounded like the original group.  In fact, in some ways they were better (please don't tell anyone I said that!) because the sound equipment was superior.  

When Your Energy is Spent - Can You Keep Going?

Ever reflect on recent activities and wonder how you managed to do everything you did?  That was my October this year.

Many of you will remember the recognition and award I was to receive in Washington D. C. as a Woman of Impact.  It will be an event I will remember the rest of my life.  I am honored to be on the cover and centerfold of the magazine Focus on Women, Sept/Oct 2015.  I will realize the benefits of this event and magazine for a long time into the future.  For this, I am grateful.

My hubby surprised me with this beautiful pendant he made for me for the event.  It is a 7.5ct Ceylon sapphire and diamond set in white gold.

How I physically made it through this month without falling apart is a miracle in itself.  On Oct 13, I left at 4:30 in the morning to catch the first ferry out of Dodge.  Starting out tired on this journey was not a "good" thing.  Once on the mainland, I had lots of errands to do before heading to the airport in Seattle around 9 P. M.  My plane didn't leave until 1 A.M. so I had time to kill and went to the movies. Opted for a scary thriller which made the walk back to my car around midnight a bit unnerving. Then back to the airport.  The plane was overbooked.  NO elbow, leg or moving room to get comfortable -- or SLEEP.

If it's Not a Sister, Put it Back, Mommy

"Mommy, if you have a boy instead of a sister for me, send it back."  

Daughter Rochelle was having her monthly pre-natal exam when three-year-old William made it exquisitely clear he only wants a sister.  Looking closely at mommy's belly button during the exam he asked the doctor, "Is that the baby's penis coming out?"

So, the pressure is on to produce one baby of the female gender. Last month, several of you put in your guess for gender, date of birth and weight.  Here is the newest ultrasound picture.  The contest is still running.  Rochelle is due in February.  Please tell me what you think......gender, date and weight.

Making the Switch from Shepherdess to Formal Attire

This month, I don't have any earth-shattering news like last month's Fly On The Wall post where I shared how my memoir, Battered Hope, and my radio show Never Ever Give Up Hope were 'discovered' by Washington D C where I will be attending a gala affair in October to be recognized and awarded.

As a result, I have had several more requests for speaking engagements and am booked solid until February.  My head is spinning with excitement and I keep pinching myself to be sure this isn't a dream.

I ordered my gown on-line which was risky, but I couldn't find any formal attire in our small town.  It fits beautifully and hubby is making me a sapphire necklace and earrings to go with it.








This week, I am at my daughter's farm doing the house/dog/cat/sheep/goat sitting stint while she is traveling.  It is a wonderful time for me to play catch-up with my writing and on-line activity. Have you ever had a week to work without interruption?  To eat when you are hungry and stay up all night writing?  I rarely leave the property although a bit of cabin fever is threatening me.  Maybe I will venture out into the real world today.

Miss Daisy is the sweetest, most lovable goat

Rescue Dogs Make the Best Pets

My name is Star.  I am a long-haired 
mini Dachshund.  I was adopted by 
Carol  six months ago. 

I will try to paint you my story in 
words to the best of my ability.

It is hard to believe or understand why Mom had to jump through so many hoops to adopt us.  Finally after being awarded custody, her 14 HOUR journey to pick us up was hilarious. 
You can read about that here.

I have learned what heaven must be like since meeting my new parents.  I know they don't understand dog language, but they understand the language of dogs.  I do the best I can to tell them how grateful I am and try to show them what my life used to be like.  I was abused and neglected.  I moved into my new home with my "husband" Gunner. Mom and Dad are not sure if we are brother and sister, husband and wife or father and daughter.  I assure you we are husband and wife.  He is the father of my babies I had years ago.  

Do You Have It All? Are You Happy?

If someone were to ask you if you 'have it all'  or "How happy are you?" do you know how you would answer?  Would you answer quickly with "Of course, I'm happy"  or would you think about it for a moment and then say "Yes, I am as happy as I could hope to be."

There are actual Happiness Quizzes you can take online which were developed by psychologists to help you determine your state of mind.  Personally, I don't need to take a quiz to read my happiness thermometer.  

Even when we go through dark times we can focus on the good in our lives; things we are grateful for, and look to better times ahead. The 'attitude of gratitude' buzz on the internet over the past couple years has certainly made more people aware that we need to daily remind ourselves of what is good and positive in our lives.