So…even if there is no global warming (but I believe there is), what’s the harm in taking care of the environment?
Personal Success
Mind-Body Connection
Have you ever had a thought and felt a change in your body?
Have you ever thought of something that bothered you and gotten a stomach ache?
When you think of your upcoming vacation, does your heart get happy?
Our thoughts affect our minds.
You have control over your mind.
Do you choose to be happy?
The Power of Preparation
Yesterday, I was in my leadership class again. My instructor – a highly esteemed retired high school Principal – handed us four packets of interview questions. There must have been 700 questions in there. We started going over a few and discussing possible answers.
I don’t know about you, but just the thought of interviews makes my palms sweat.
I felt really, really nervous at the prospect of having 10-12 people around a table asking me 20 questions. And then he said,
“If you’re really nervous before you go in, you’re not prepared.”
Yes. I knew this to be true. Sure, butterflies are normal. This is your body’s way of preparing you to be on your toes. But the shaky, can’t-think-straight nervousness you feel before you have to perform?
You’re not ready.
So whatever you’re preparing for, work it. Work hard. Put in your hours, your sweat, blood and tears. Do the research, or the workout or the practice. Give it all you’ve got and then surrender.
*Maya Angelou tip: Think of all the people who have ever loved you and the people around who love you now. When you go in for the interview, get on that stage, or go in the boxing ring, call all your loved ones to accompany you.
Falling…
I fall 1,000 times, I get up 1,001.
There’s a saying I like, although I might change two of the words:
“Winners do what losers won’t.”
I prefer: “Successful people do what the Unrealized won’t.” It’s more wordy … a bit clunky, but I don’t believe anyone is a “winner” or a “loser.” Some people have embraced courage and run with it. Some people are still working on their courage.
Go on. Get up. Help make the world a better place. We need you.
Prosperity
Its not about the money, its about adding value and bringing something to the table.
Peter Sage
There are a lot of mixed signals in our culture about money. One fallacy is that you have to be dishonest or mean to be rich. Another is that your self-worth is linked to your income. Together, this creates a heartless, soulless society. Scary, to say the least.
Mr. Sage once said, “Chasing money is like chasing your tail, it’s never going to happen, because you have to pursue adding value, not money in and of itself.”
I believe that if you pursue something that helps others, the money will follow. We all have tools to self-empower and prosper.
We just need to add value to society with those tools.
Habits, Success and Resolutions
I don’t like to work out, but I’ve been working out regularly for decades. The secret? A reward shortly after working out. It’s usually a bubble bath.
I just bought this:
According to Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit), the secret to developing a habit is to identify and implement three things:
- a cue
- a routine
- a reward
The cue could be “morning”, the routine could be going to the gym and the reward could be a bubble bath (I don’t advise chocolate cake).
Remember, good habits are invaluable: they help you reach your goals on autopilot. If you don’t have to struggle to do the work because it is a habit, the more likely you’ll stick with it!
What are your cues, routines and rewards?
How
It’s not how much money you make,
but how you make your money
that is important.
How to Avoid Letting Ego Ruin Your Night
We are at the Ikeda Theater, waiting to watch Itzhak Perlman. We’re in the nosebleeds section, despite paying several hundred dollars. But this is Perlman. You can’t put a price on this.
Who comes to sit right next to us, but the girl and the mom who were so rude during summer symphony camp! I had set some gifts for the teachers and a sweater on my seat and came back after lunch to find them removed. “Mrs. S.” was sitting in our seats, her tripod and fancy camera all set up to capture her princess in her quartet group. She had placed my possessions in “lost and found.”
I was fuming.
And here we are now. It’s funny how feelings can come to surface again.
Deep breath. This pain is ego. You cannot fight ego by resisting it.
This is called “practice” or meditation. Be mindful. Be aware. And let it go.
People are talking while Mr. Perlman is playing. Let it go.
It is not always easy.
I’m sitting with my husband and my daughters who are dressed in their finest clothes. They did their hair in fancy dos and they feel special because we are taking them out to see Itzhak Perlman.
I choose to enjoy the evening, moment by moment.
Don’t Overestimate the Power of Review
A couple weeks ago, I taught my 5th graders how to diagram sentences. We started out very simple. They liked it, because it was kind of like geometry in English class. Basically, students were to separate the subject from the verb and create dangling shelves for modifiers. After practicing ten sentences, we started our literature study and left diagramming off to the side.
On their vocabulary test today, I decided to be generous and offer extra credit for diagramming a very simple sentence related to our literary study, The Sign of the Beaver. Here are two responses:
Where’s the other woman?
I’m speechless.
Your “Role” Vs. “Being”
You’re a parent and you want to do a good an excellent job. Afterall, what could be more important? I’ve learned (the hard way), that to be a good parent, you have to both DO and BE.
DO – remind your kids to brush their teeth, make their beds, do their homework, etc.
BE – sit with them and just listen. 100% listening, with your eyes and ears and your full attention. Laugh with them. Ask questions and know them as people. They are people, separate from you.
You have a job: protect, nurture, teach.
But then, let them go and love them for who they are.
Kismet 