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.

What is Your Secret to Life?

Everyone wants to live longer and we spend a lot of money trying to find the secrets to living a longer life. We buy potions, pills, creams and exercise equipment - all in an effort to maintain or regain our youth. We spend a great deal of our hard earned money to look younger. Some of it works, but most of it does not.

I have six living uncles and aunts and the YOUNGEST is 90 years old. I have always maintained that the harder you work, the younger you feel. Even though TODAY is my (you can guess the number :) birthday, I  work harder than I did 25 years ago.  I love to be busy which helps me to think younger, act younger and look younger, Yes, longevity runs in my family, but more importantly there are some underlying facts that we put into practice.

What you feed will grow

AND.....

What you starve will die

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.

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.

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.

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

That Dirty Little 15 Letter Word

There is a word that almost always brings groans and utterances under one's breath.  People often talk about this word and wish they could remove it from their vocabulary.  That word is 'procrastination.' Many people hate to admit they are procrastinators, yet some are proud they can put things off until the last moment and still get them done.  

Maybe you have monthly, weekly, daily even half-daily lists. When crossing tasks off those lists, it can bring you great pleasure.  The tricky part is to be flexible and spontaneous when something fun or necessary takes priority and totally messes with your lists!  To do this without getting flustered is an art, creativity at its best.  It takes practice and a lot of patience.

Only you can choose

I have lived with the world's greatest procrastinator for the past 40 plus years.  I may have learned a thing or two about coping with HIS problem.  If you happen to be one of those lucky people who live with one -- hang on -- here are some synonyms for procrastinator and they aren't pretty:

• dawdlerstar
• dilly-dallierstar
• idlerstar
• lagstar

• laggerstar
• lingererstar
• loaferstar
• loitererstar

• loungerstar
• pokestar
• slowpokestar
• stragglerstar

• slow starterstar
• tarrier

If I called my hubby any one of those names, I would be in serious jeopardy of dirty looks or worse. Hey, I didn't write the dictionary!

My question to you is this:  Who is the most stressed?  The procrastinator or the other person?  I have learned not to care if he doesn't get done what he would like to do -- that's his problem.

Were You Born With It?

Are you born with a natural ability to sell or is it learned?  Even though I have been in sales as long as I can remember, I can't answer that.

I have trained many people how to sell, but I believe that is different than a natural ability.  I will rarely buy something when the salesperson is pushing me.  If I am walking through a mall and someone wants me to sample their product or service, I will smile and walk quickly away. Personally, I don't look at that as selling but plain obnoxious.

If you are interested in a humorous look on how NOT to sell, I wrote a blog post about it a few months ago called 10 Ways To Guarantee You Do NOT Make A Sale.  Have a look here to get some valid tips on what NOT to do.

Let's Sum It Up -- Again

We get busy.  It happens.  Sometimes we miss reading posts from our favorite bloggers.  Last week I shared highlights from my blog posts for the past week and it was so popular -- I'm doin' it again!  So................Let's Sum It Up!

For those of you that may have missed them, hopefully you will have a chance to take a peek and comment.  I LOVE your comments and always respond within twenty-four hours.  That's how friendships are formed, right?

Starting with Monday......TAKE TIME FOR YOUR HEALTH TODAY

SO.......

YOU HAVE HEALTH FOR YOUR TIME TOMORROW

I shared  how I am privileged to see miracles Every. Single. Day.  As a result, I get a lot of Hugs - Read about it here.

A Friend Indeed

Blogging has opened a new world of friendship.  People we would never have met in any other way have become dear friends in this new world.  One of my new, dear and beautiful friends is Inderpreet Kaur Uppal.  She is a freelance writer, blogger, editor and lecturer.  She has a Masters Degree in Human Resources Management and loves to read, travel, discuss and write.  Please connect with her at her blog,  Eloquent Articulation,  and read her wonderful posts there.  

Today she is Guest Posting for me on the subject of marriage.  She lives in India - a half world away - in a totally different culture. Yet, we hold the same sentiments dear when it comes to family, relationships and marriage.  Here are her thoughts on marriage:

6 Ways To Turn A Blogger Off

Dear Blogger:

Today I visited your blog.  I didn't stay.  I wanted to, but it was too difficult.  I tried, but I had to leave. I knew you spent a lot of time writing something amazing.  I knew I would enjoy reading your post when you had tweaked my interest with your title. 

Rest assured, Blogger, you are not alone.  There have been numerous blogs I have visited recently that I had to leave. The part I don't understand is there is so much information available, so many short courses and tips for Bloggers and yet.....

Let's Sum It Up

         .
We get busy.  It happens.  Sometimes we miss reading posts from our favorite bloggers.  My friend and fellow blogger, Elly Stornebrink, had a great idea suggesting we share highlights from our blog posts for the past week.  So................Let's Sum It Up!

For those of you that may have missed them, hopefully you will have a chance to take a peek and comment.  I LOVE your comments and always respond within twenty-four hours.  That's how friendships are formed, right?

Sunday, November 1:  Let Me Drop Everything and Work On Your Problem   I loved this post, especially the coffee mug that said:

Let Me Drop Everything and Work On Your Problem

I reached for the nearest coffee mug this morning and then opened my email inbox.  Going through the list, I deleted the obvious ones and then began screening the ones that were left.

Today CAN'T be the first of November.  Yup.  It is.  Today is the first day of NaBloPoMo blogging challenge.  Am I going to be able to keep up?  My plate is already overflowing.

Set Yourself Free - Break From Reality

Spa Day.  A Day At The Spa.  Don't you love the way that sounds?  A few months ago I house, dog, cat and sheep sat (try to say that fast) for my daughter Rochelle and her family.  As a thank you, she gifted me with a day at the spa.  In that post, Can a Day at the Spa Remove the Smell of Sheep?   I shared this out-of-the-ordinary spa.  It is the Grotto Spa at Tigh-Na-Mara, 25,000 square feet of insane bliss.

Here I am again -- but this time GOATS have been added to the list.  Rochelle does not treat these animals as livestock -- to her, they are family!  They have names and she is teaching them tricks.  I don't know if that is what she expects me to do when she is gone -- but I feed 'em and scoop up the poop.  End of story.  Yet, she scheduled a day at the spa for me.  A little bit of heaven.

Walking in, you feel like royalty and any memories of your real world start to fade.  The way the floor plan is laid out you see very few other guests.  There are twenty-five treatment rooms for massage alone!  The mineral pool is a place where you can literally drown your sorrows.  

Image Over Substance - It's A Matter of Roots

I'm not much of a gardener.  In fact, I know very little about gardening but I do know that it is wonderful therapy for many people.  I don't understand gardening, yet I have learned a valuable lesson from a tree. Years ago, we lived on a large acreage and over the course of any summer, trees seemed to spring up out of nowhere.  It was as if they had some special magic like the seeds in the story, Jack and the Beanstalk.  In a matter of weeks, these trees would grow tall and if we didn't get rid of them, they would easily take over the road.

It was not difficult to get rid of them as they had a little root system.  The tree would be several feet high with roots that were only a few inches deep.  You could lean on them and they would uproot.

What I did not understand was why some trees took so long to grow and these grew so quickly.  I asked an avid gardener friend and her response was, "Real trees know better than to go up until their roots have gone down.  Trees that last," he said, "have as many roots underground as they have branches above."

BAM!  That hit me hard.  It rang true when thinking about life and what matters.

Do You Welcome The Bumpy Roads And What They Teach You?

BUMPY ROADS.  All of us have times in our lives when we travel roads that are not smooth.  Often, it is a very unpleasant experience but we become stronger and wiser for going down those paths.  Brian Wilson has written a compilation of short stories about people whose journey may have  been bumpy, but they have faced the challenges and are better people for it. 

I connected with Brian Wilson on Linkedin and had the opportunity to interview him here. His website is Hidden Treasure Books, Where you find great books.   He has authored two books, Moments in Time and Bumpy Roads. Both of these are collections of short stories to entertain you and provoke thought.









Brian, what made you want to become a writer?

I have always been interested in short story writing and saw an opportunity on February 22, 2011 when Christchurch City, New Zealand was leveled by a 6.3 earthquake.  Across the road from where I worked, a six story building collapsed entombing all 113 occupants and 185 died that day.  This was considered one of the worst earthquakes to hit a modern city.  Based on these events, I wrote a number of short stories and told them in my first book, Moments in Time, along with other stories of my experiences in other countries.

6 Tips on How To Stop Cleaning Your House

Every Saturday, I mean EVERY Saturday.....housework came first.  It mattered not what I had planned for the day, or how much my friends wanted me to join them for a trip to the mall, Mother always said "After the housework is done, you can go out." End of conversation.

Mondays were reserved for doing the laundry.  Tuesdays were for ironing.  Wednesdays for baking. Thursdays for gardening. I don't remember what Fridays were for but..... SATURDAYS were for cleaning house.  This was usually a full day of work.

Dusting.  Sweeping.  Shaking (or beating) the big rugs outside.  Mopping the floors.  Spot washing the walls, window sills and whatever.  Scrubbing the bathroom.  Polishing the furniture. Polishing the silverware.  It's amazing I survived!

What Is Your 'If Only' Moment?

How many 'if only' moments do we get?  If only I had not said that.  If only I had not gone there.  If only I had made a better choice.  If only I had called them.  If only I had made the effort to see them one last time.  If only.......

Once we have said it..... it is spoken.
Once we have done it.....it is done.
Can we take back the words, undo the deed?  No.

How to Double Your Chance To Win - Giveaway

This is a Win-Win.  Everyone who enters is a winner because I will post all entry stories on my blog.  In addition, there are two opportunities to win an autographed copy of Battered Hope.   Click here to read the first couple chapters.  



What's It Like?

Ever wonder what it's like?  If you know -- please enlighten me.

What's it like to leave your dirty dishes and clothes around the house knowing that someone is going to pick them up for you?

What's it like to come home from work and sit down to a home-cooked meal with all the trimmings?