Thursday, November 28, 2013

A Brief Reminiscence of Thanksgiving Past

We lived in an attached house with a narrow street in front. You could play touch football there, two on two or three on three....."five steps and cut behind the red car"...."fake square out bomb"...."three straight completions is a first down".... On Thanksgiving it was cold out, good for football in sweatshirts. Red in the face, blowing some smoke like the Green Bay Packers. Working up an appetite, no school tomorrow and tomorrow is only Friday. Five touchdowns wins. One team wins, it doesn't take that long, it doesn't matter who won. It doesn't seem cold out at all, it's just right. Back in the house EVERYBODY is there. It is so WARM.

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!!!

Monday, November 18, 2013

Power of YET


THE POWER OF YET

The most powerful English word is the simple three letter Y-E-T. It's powerful because it can change the direction of thought. From such changes in thought come changes in action. From where a person presently sits, real change may seem impossible. But is it?  Or are we just not taking action, yet.

I recommend adding Y-E-T to any negative thought or sentence you produce. What’s the worst that could happen? It would sound a little stupid?  OK, if it would be too embarrassing to try it out loud, try it just in your head.  If you are embarrassed by your own thoughts, that’s something you haven’t gotten around to addressing, yet.

Why do I care about the power of yet?  To be honest, its frustrating to listen to people recite the same problems over and over, making the same defeatist self-assessments, assuring the world how impossible their situations are.  I know, other people’s problems are not my problems, and they shouldn’t bother me.  I should stick to my own problems, a skill I have not perfected, yet.

Part of solving a problem is defining it clearly. Maybe that’s why we spend so much time defining and re-defining our problems. There is value in defining, it can lead to focus. Once defined and focused, move towards solutions?  We frequently define using “can’t, haven’t, never, didn’t, don’t, aren’t” and all their friends.  How can we overcome this?  We don’t have an equalizer to negatively defined problems, yet.

Try this: Add the word “yet” to any negatively stated problem. Here are a few:

“I’m not committed to my exercise routine, yet.”
“I can’t make my relationships work, yet.”
“I don’t have my finances where I want them, yet.”
“I don’t know how to use computers, yet.”
“I’m not in a career I’m satisfied with, yet.”

Beginning to harness the power of yet takes only one little conversation with yourself. It involves an affirmative answer to one question....."Which do you prefer, having problems, or having problems in the process of solution?” If your honest answer is having problems works better for you, I’d say you are not ready for the power of yet, yet.

We are all works in progress, but if we are not progressing fast enough (yet), we can get on the fast track, with the power of Y-E-T.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Top 10 Things I Learned From My Mother


Top 10 things I learned from my Mother:

10. Reading and writing are gifts, appreciate them.

9. Forgiving is better than holding a grudge.

8. If you are interested in something, don't dabble, GO FOR IT!

7. The best way to make friends is to BE a friend.

6. Payback is irrelevant when it comes to helping. Help because you can.

5. You don't have to be "religious" to be spiritual.

4. There are many ways to support someone, not everyone needs the same kind of support.

3. When people ask for advice, give it. Accept that whether they follow it is their decision.

2. Fight for what you believe, but always see reality.

1. Be discreet in your speech, but if something needs to be said, SAY IT.

Mom - With immeasurable gratitude.  Miss you every day.