Monday, January 30, 2012

Did You Know (Dr. Seuss)?



Did you know Dr. Seuss' first book 'And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street'  was rejected?
Not once, not twice, but twenty-seven times?

What if you really wanted something?
What if you were the only one who believed in your dream?
What if no one supported you?

Would you still push?
or
Would you give up?

What if  Dr. Seuss quit?

A whole bunch of kids might not have enjoyed reading...or wouldn't have even learned to read as soon as they did.

Including my own child.

When my ten year old was a little girl, she hated books. Her older sister was an avid reader at two years old, but at eighteen months old my second darling daughter wanted nothing to do with books.

I thought she'd never read...all she wanted to do was run around and scream.
The truth, she needed speech therapy and was more of a tactile and emotional child.
To sit still and listen to a story was nearly impossible, never mind learn to read it.

Finally, after years of continuing to try to read to her, introducing book after book, she finally began to read!

 Hop on Pop and The Foot Book were her first, and she remembers them fondly to this very day!

After conquering those two books, she was off  and running with more:

Sadly, the famous author died ten years ago...ironically, just a few days after my daughter's birth.

You just never know what you could do for someone if you believe in yourself!

Even if it's seventy years later....and for someone you never meet.

Thank you, Dr. Seuss for your stick-to-itiveness!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Fly With This Fun Friday Quote



lolgallery.com
Minds are like parachutes.
They only function when they are open.
- James Dewar

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Y.I. Wednesday: Why I Don't Have Many Friends


I really have to say I don't think I have many friends.

Okay, maybe that came out wrong.

I have not had many 'good' friends.

Wait, that isn't quite what I mean either.

Let me try again:

Over the years, I've only had a few really close genuine friends.

Ah, that's better.

So, why do you suppose this is?

It might be because I'm a very busy mother. Many can relate to that...

It could be because I am not very friendly...ummmm, uh uh, that's surely not it.

Hey, I know! It might be because I'm a jerk! Nah, I've already said that I'm not a jerk...

So, if it's not any of those things...I have to wonder, it it's because 'I call it like I see it'.

Do you know how many people in the world would actually prefer you tell them what they want to hear, rather than what they need to hear? (I don't know the number either, but I'm betting it's a lot!)

I've never been a sugar coater. I like to ask thought provoking questions and give people my honest opinion (if they ask for it first, of course, otherwise that's just rude...).

Here's an example of the shoe being on the other foot: (Mine actually)

The other day, I called a couple of my friends for some advice. One of them was my father. (Yes, even after my turbulent angry teen years, I consider my dad my friend.)

I can tell my dad anything, and that man will, well...'tell me like he see's it'. (Gulp)

Never for a second does he entertain any idea that my brain comes up with, if... he sees a true problem with it.

I hat that about him....and love it at the same time.

After a good hour long chat on the phone, I hung up feeling deflated...but confident! You see, I had sensed I wanted to make a choice that may not be the 'best' one...and after telling him all of my ideas, and he telling me 'all of the truth behind my ideas', I realized it probably wasn't going to be the best plan after all.

He was right...of course. (I hate that too sometimes.)

After my husband and I discussed my chat with Dad, we agreed our gut had told us not to do in the first place anyhow, and though I sort of didn't want to listen to it....

I didn't want to, but I needed to.

Often, if we tell our friends the truth about something they are about to do, they can become defensive.
They can even come to the decision that they don't consider us a friend. It's not that we don't believe in them, love them or trust them. It's actually, just the opposite...we care for them more than they know and just don't want to see them fall.

If that causes me to have less friends, so be it. I'd rather be honest with them, than tell them a lie that they will be angry with me for later.

So it's back to the drawing board for me!

Thanks Dad! (And I mean that in the most sincere way.)




Monday, January 23, 2012

Strive for More


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"Never stop until your good becomes better, 
and your better becomes the best."
~ Frank Zappa Singer-Songwriter


Friday, January 20, 2012

One Simple Quote


In lieu of this week's Y.I.
I thought I'd tip my hat to the Donald one more time:

'As long as you're going to be thinking anyway, 
think big.' 
-Donald Trump

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

6 Reasons Y.I. Admire Donald Trump



I love Donald Trump.

No, not like I love my husband, my kids, or my coffee, but I really do like him. 
Most people don't seem to, and I'm not sure if it's because he has so much money, because he lost so much money, or because his hair is really, well, Donald.

Personally, I don't care about his money or his hair.

I learned a long time ago that life is too short to live it for others. I also learned that we were given one life to live and it's our right to do with it as we please. Donald inspires people to look ahead, forgive yourself, learn from mistakes and keep moving forward no matter what, because that's how you win.

Here are 6 Reasons Y.I. Admire Donald:
  1. He has the ability to admit defeat
  2. He has the humility to share his lessons learned
  3. He has the tenacity to get what he wants (hey, you only live once)
  4. He uses a no no nonsense/common sense approach to business and life
  5. He seems to abide by an: 'I'm not here to please the world' attitude when living life (hence the hair still) 
  6. He always has the courage to move on after disaster and mistakes
"Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war." ~ Donald Trump


Monday, January 16, 2012

Has Your Life Worked Out the Way You Planned?


About 3 1/2  years ago, I felt like I had hit a brick wall.

I sensed that maybe I was in the wrong place, or maybe I was in the right place, but that the wrong things were happening.

Regardless, I definitely knew life was not exactly as I wanted it to be.

So, after an entire month of reflection and evaluation, I realized I had put myself there, and I had to ask whether or not it was what I wanted.

Indeed, I knew I was in the correct place in life. There wasn't anything I did, or didn't do, which I regretted.
I was still relieved about divorcing my 'X', I was still thrilled with my decision to relocate, and I was quite content being a single mom ....but the rest hadn't fallen into place yet.

I wasn't writing, I was stuck in a dead end job, and I still hadn't gotten that book started.

Around that time, I came across this quote:

"You are where you are because you want to be." 


It seemed simple enough, but hit me so hard. 


I realized at that moment, my situation, good or bad, had to do with me and only me...and that to get out of it and make anything happen I had to take charge.


I cannot even remember where I saw or heard that phrase, but it saved my life.

That very day, I stopped the pity party.

Then, I took a  bright colored marker and wrote that exact quote on a sheet of paper...

I taped it to the wall across from my bed. That way, every morning, when I opened my eyes, I was sure to wake up.


Today, I am happy to say that I write three blogs, have a monthly family column which circulates in a local newspaper and I am working on my parenting book every day. I also started my own copywriting and editing business after my hours got cut at my day job...and I have plenty more in my sights.

The future is ours, if only we seize it.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Superstitious Much?


Ask this question of anyone, and most likely they will answer, 'Eh.. not really' or 'Sort of'.

Thank goodness many do answer like this because upon Googling superstitions this week, I was completely overwhelmed by what I found! There are hundreds of them, if not thousands!

If someone were totally and 100% superstitious, they would have anxiety 24/7 about EVERYTHING!

Did you know that there is a superstition about Acorns?
....Brooms? and.....Matches!?

Yikes!

Did you also know you should never trip on Friday!?

How about this one: The rabbit's foot has more to do with fertility than good luck!?

Superstitious or not, check this out for a little fun!

Want more? Click here!

The bad news? There's a lot of these things floating around.
The good news? I bet we have all dropped an umbrella on the floor, come face to face with a black cat, or forgot to knock on wood, and the world did not end...so, take solace knowing, you probably have nothing to worry about.

"90% of what we worry about, never happens."- Author Unknown

Oh, yeah, by the way...
Happy Friday the 13th!!!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Y.I. Wednesday: Why I'm Not a Jerk


This may seems like an odd Y.I. for Wednesday, but when I explain, I think you will understand. 

Read this:

Three things in human life are important: 
The first is to be kind. 
The second is to be kind. 
And the third is to be kind.
-HENRY JAMES (1843–1916)

Now ponder this:

Aren't there enough people in the world who spend most of their time purposely making others miserable?

How will it solve anything if I were to adopt the mentality, 'give an eye for an eye'?

How would I be able to lead a peaceful, happy life, if I were to spend my life being mean to anyone just because they make a mistake? 

Most people know me. They know I'm really nice. 
I'm generally known as patient and giving and offer people the benefit of the doubt.

But, those same people know that I have a line, and when it's crossed, I change, then simply cease the above.

Though, I will never be a jerk in the process.

Politeness, Professionalism and Maturity is always called for.

Being a jerk is not.

Think about a time when somebody cut you off or got irritated with you in the store - what did you do?

Did you get mad? Did you slam your hand down, or maybe yell at them?

Could you have just let it go? 
Or could you have dealt with it verbally, minus the drama?

We have a choice.

Being a jerk to someone whose not so nice to you won't ever make things better, and in the rare case that they may have just received some really bad news, and their mind just isn't with it at the moment, it's possible they don't realize they are doing it, and therefore do not deserve to be treated poorly, but instead need some compassion.

Some things to think about:

It's not always personal, so don't always take it as such.

How you act reflects upon you.

What you do will come back to you, so treat other's how you want to be treated.

And for those who deal with the aforementioned 'repeat-offending-purposeful-jerks'? 

Keep calm and carry on, because:

A) It still has nothing to do with you.
B) They're not worth the escalated blood pressure.


What do you NOT do and Why?

Monday, January 9, 2012

What Does It Mean to Reinvent Yourself


Many of the best of companies, car makers and entertainers have reinvented themselves.

Sometimes they are referred to as 'sell-outs', other times they're respected.

I consider them smart.

Bon Jovi was one who reinvented himselve. When he realized that the big hair bands of the 80's were not the way of the world anymore, he lopped off his locks, versed some new hits and is a success today because he evolved.

Everyone needs to renew themselves from time to time and since change is inevitable, the sooner we realize it, the smoother the transition will be.

Here are a list of people who've reinvented themselves successfully (sometimes more than once):

According to Don't Drink the Koolaid:
Michael Jackson reinvented himself 42 times
Apple – We at Bailey Gardiner are creative people. What would we do without our Macs? Apple started a revolution in the 70’s when it first launched its brand. Skip past a few years of failed reinvention attempts… fast forward through the launch of the iMac … which takes us to present day in which Apple has a unique reputation for creating shiny products with an aesthetically-pleasing design, like the iPhone, iPod and Macbook.  I like the shiny.
Gucci – Tom Ford joined Gucci in 1990 when the company was on the brink of liquidation. As the company’s creative director, Tom Ford transformed and saved the brand. He revived the double G logo and added gloss and glamour to change fashion history.

Check out these sites (life just might be trying to tell you you could use a change):

An Funny but Inspiring Look at Reinvention

Friday, January 6, 2012

Fun Friday Quote


'If you think that nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.'
-Earl Wilson

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Y.I. Ditched My New Year's Resolution List



Because I always seemed to either forget about them or give up on them....I have left my long standing New Year's Resolutions at the door.

I mean, yes, I believe in change (oh, do I) but, I truly think it's too easy to get overwhelmed working on a whole bunch of things at once...

Hence Why I ditched my New Year's Resolution list last year and replaced it with One Word.

Recently, I posted a few things about this One Word approach and I hope you will check it out.

Easy, but not too easy. Simplified, but not simple...I find it to be just right.

During the year, I feel that I work on the things I need to work on, you know, make adjustments as I go.
So, when New Year's comes around I usually over-do-it by making a big long list of things and get overloaded. Then,  I'm discouraged after just a short time...like by February 1st (Ugh).

So, last year, I decided to just stick to one word all year long that helped me focus better on almost anything I was doing.

Read about 2011's word: Grace

This time I chose Goals for 2012!



Last Year I chose Grace.
Read how I did:

The trick will be, keeping Grace in action, 
while incorporating Goals...
It's both exciting and scary!
Yikes! 

Sounds tricky...
But, I think I'm up for the challenge.

No pain, no gain, right?

Throughout 2012, I will post updates and follow up stories about how I'm doing with my Goals.
Come back next week to find out how I plan on using this word!


I have already begun  my Goal list for the year...
and that's just the beginning.



Have you ditched New Year's resolutions? Why?
Or...
Will you be trying One Word instead?

Think you might like to try 
My One Word? 
visit MyOneWord.com 
or 
Test a New Year's Resolution? click here to read more