The Road to Lifestyle

"Every decision you make--every decision--is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about who you are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do." - Neale Donald Walsch

This made me laugh... a quote from Mark Twain: "I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." The vast majority of the things we worry about never come to pass. According to a study by the University of Michigan (as related by John C. Maxwell in his article The 'Big 5' Challenges People Face , Success magazine September 2010 issue): 60% of our fears are totally unwarranted, meaning they never happen 20% of our fears are based in the past and out of our control 10% of our fears are so petty they can make no difference at all And of the remaining 10%, only 4 to 5% are "real and justifiable fears." Who determines the "real and justifiable" part, I wonder? Bottom line: "Fear is a poor chisel with which to carve out tomorrow." (From The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews)

Several years ago I was a camp counselor for Teen Aviation Camp (TAC) in Colorado Springs , Colorado . The camp was held at the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School. I am an AFA Prep School alum as well as an Air Force Academy alum and it was the first time I had been back to the Academy since I graduated in 2002. One evening the counselors went to dinner on Academy Blvd and as I was leaving the restaurant I saw a little bunny sitting all by himself outside of the building. I reached down for him and surprisingly he did not run away. I actually took him back into the restaurant, which looking back was probably some sort of health code violation, but I wanted to show the other counselors who were still dining inside. We named him after the camp and he became our unofficial mascot. I bought him a cage at Wal-Mart. It was far too large for him boasting an expansive "Living Area" about two feet across and a foot and a half deep. TAC was no bigger than a tennis ...

I've heard it said that unless you are striving to be better, to improve yourself day by day, you are coasting... and the bad thing about coasting is that you can only coast in one direction--down hill! So remember this astute observation by Brian Tracy: "Whatever got you where you are today won't get you any further." Find your victory in making today better than yesterday. Go make it happen!

"You make the world a better place by making yourself a better person." - Scott Sorrell

"There comes a point in your career when the best way to figure out how you're doing is to step back and ask yourself a few questions. Having all the answers is less important than knowing what to ask." - Robert S. Kaplan

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." - Albert Einstein

"Would you like me to give you the formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure ... You're thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all ... You can be discouraged by failure--or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember that's where you'll find success. On the other side of failure." - Thomas J. Watson, Sr., Founder of IBM (as quoted in The Slight Edge: Secret to a $uccessful Life by Jeff Olson)

Remember that life change does not start with inspiration. As Jim Rohn once mused, "If a guy's an idiot and you motivate him now you've got a motivated idiot." Life change starts with education!

There is a mechanical rule I learned early in meditation practice: "to open ears, operate mouth." What that says is this: that in order for someone to hear what you've got to say, they need to feel that what they have to say has been heard and understood. From the perspective of the hearer, a "yes, but" cancels out the sense of having been heard and understood -- the very purpose of the argument. Some people thrill at being able to say "yes, but" in many different ways. This can be an amusing diversion, but it misses the point. A salutary rule for true communication might read "Never in words or substance say 'yes, but.'" Phrases like "What you're saying is that... " are effective when coupled with a statement that the listener will recognize as at least as favorable to their position as what they said. Aristotle on Persuation by Barbara Ashley Phillips

RE: A letter to friends, colleagues, and business contacts DATE: 15 February 2009 All, I just finished reading The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea for the second time and as I reflect on the "The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success" I felt compelled to share them for those of you who have not had a chance to read the book. I also implore you to take the time to read it sooner than later; and if you've read it before... read it again. As the book states, "These lessons don't apply only to business... A genuinely sound business principle will apply anywhere in life--in your friendships, in your marriage, anywhere . That's the true bottom line. Not whether it simply improves your financial balance sheet, but whether it improves your life's balance sheet." It is a quick read and well worth it... Without further ado, I present to you "The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success": 1. The Law of Value: Your true worth is d...

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"A bad day for your ego is a good day for your soul." - Jillian Michaels

"It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not." - James Gordon

Well folks, my birthday flat tire got me thinking. When I mentioned the flat tire to folks they told me they felt sorry for this unfortunate event, especially since it happened on my birthday and all. Let's get something straight here--the terms "bad thing" and "good thing" are labels that WE place on events that have no labels. I'd like to think that there is tremendous positive significance to each event in my life. Let me give you an example: When I was a little girl I used to flip over June Bugs: These little guys tumble onto their backs quite easily and once they do they don't seem to be able to right themselves. So when I saw one struggling to get to his/her feet I would help them out with a little nudge. I created a story in my mind that helped fuel my passion and purpose for doing this. I thought to myself that if I was ever mugged on the street perhaps this little June Bug I just helped would fly into the face of the mugger distracting hi...

"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable." - Christopher Reeve

This past week I attended two classes on leadership at Aileron ( http://www.aileron.org/ ), an entrepreneurial mecca for those who desire to improve themselves and all aspects of their business. One class was aimed at insuring that, as leaders, we understand what kind of message we are sending/projecting to our respective organizations. The second discussed what it means to be a "Servant Leader." The classes were taught by T.D. Hughes, former CEO and now Chairman of the Board of LaRosa's ( http://www.larosas.com/ ), a local pizzeria (OH, IN, KY locations) that has been in business since 1954. After the classes a group of business associates and I gathered in a conference room to discuss our lessons learned. We then went on to discuss ways to expand our insurance businesses by way of recruiting. The gentleman at the head of the table exclaimed, "I'm tired of people wasting my time..." and before he could finish a flash of disdain undoubtedly appeared on my fa...

"The key is not to prioritize what is on the schedule, but to schedule your priorities." - Stephen Covey

"Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would otherwise never have occurred . A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can...begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." - W.N. Murray about the Scottish Himalayan Expedition

"Many times we desire to change the people in our life that don't meet our expectations. We overestimate our ability to change others because we fear the unknown. When we understand our ability to create the exact life we desire, we realize we can create new relationships with people that will meet our expectations ... not because we changed them but because that is who they already are." - Nick Bogatin

Ah what would life be without the salient wisdom of the fortune cookie? Yes, last night I had Chinese food. It was good too... really good. And as I opened up my fortune cookie, I held my breath in anticipation of the wisdom of the ages that was about to pour out. My fortune cookie said: I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Hmmm ... yes indeed. The cookie also implored me to "LEARN CHINESE" and spelled out the word for "Beverage; drink" as "yin liao ." My lucky numbers were included as well. My what an information packed little strip of paper! And then I thought, why not double my good fortune by opening up a second fortune cookie? Shall I dare? And I dared... "Your efforts will result in much profit," it told me so matter-of- factly . Wonderful. This is my year. Life is good. I think I'll have a sip of my yin liao and reflect on my good fortune...

"Knowing exactly what you want to do, with unwavering conviction, is the spark that generates everything." - Deepak Chopra