03.28.08
What are you doing Right Now?
What Are You Doing Right Now? From TQ Thinking
“It’s simply a matter of doing what you do best and not worrying about what the other fellow is going to do.”
~ John R. Amos
Take time during your day to review what you’ve done and where you’re headed. Being busy does not necessarily get you closer to your destination. Keeping yourself on track will.
Today’s Questions:
Have you checked your prioritized To Do List recently? _________________________________
Are you on track with your To Do List today?
_________________________________
If time’s money, what price would you put on your time, right now? _________________________________
03.27.08
Become a possibilitarian
“Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities — always see them, for they’re always there.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale
I have always loved this quote! If you could bottle the positivity of Dr. Peale or Robert Schuller, the Number 1 Possibilitarian in the world, you would see life in an entirely different light.
Possibility thinking is better than impossibility thinking for one simple reason: When you think something is impossible, you tend to STOP.
Thus, a lack of ACTION becomes the self-fulfilling prophecy of FAILURE.
This is not PHILOSOPHY. It’s PHYSICS: A body at rest tends to remain at rest.
But when you believe something is POSSIBLE, you will pursue it with PASSION and zeal… taking ACTION in spite of fear, uncertainty and doubt. Which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of SUCCESS!
Because a body in motion tends to remain in motion. It is your ATTITUDE that keeps your BODY in MOTION!
No question, consistently maintaining a positive, potential-driven attitude (while difficult for many) is a major element of long-term success. Without it, you are defeated before you even get started.
With it, you will persist with passion and enthusiasm until you succeed or find a better way.
The message is simple. In the ebb and flow of life, the positives and negatives driving your attitude determine if you will find success or experience failed expectations over time.
Commit to PASSIONATELY LIVING what you VALUE.
TQ Thinking
03.26.08
Am I an Optimist or a Pessimist?
Do you know someone who seems to always have a smile and a positive thought? Or are you yourself one of those people who is full of optimism? Hardships are seen as ‘learning experiences’ by optimists, and even the most miserable day always holds the promise for them that ‘tomorrow will probably be better.’ If you always see the brighter side of things, you may feel that you experience more positive events in your life than others, find yourself less stressed, and even enjoy greater health benefits.
The Benefits of Optimism
Superior Health
In a study of 99 Harvard University students, those who were optimists at age 25 were significantly healthier at ages 45 and 60 than those who were pessimists. Other studies have linked a pessimistic explanatory style with higher rates of infectious disease, poor health, and earlier mortality.
Greater Achievement
Speligman analyzed the explanatory styles of sports teams and found that the more optimistic teams created more positive synergy and performed better than the pessimistic ones. Another study showed that pessimistic swimmers who were led to believe they’d done worse than they had were prone to future poor performance. Optimistic swimmers didn’t have this vulnerability. Research like this has led some companies to go out of their way to hire optimists — a practice that seems to be paying off.
Persistence
Optimists don’t give up as easily as pessimists, and they are more likely to achieve success because of it. Some optimistic businessmen, like Donald Trump, have been bankrupt (even multiple times), but have been able to persist and turn their failures into millions.
Emotional Health
In a study of clinically depressed patients, it was discovered that 12 weeks of cognitive therapy (which involves reframing a person’s thought processes) worked better than drugs, as changes were more long-lasting than a temporary fix. Patients who had this training in optimism had the ability to more effectively handle future setbacks.
Increased Longevity
In a retrospective study of 34 healthy Hall of Fame baseball players who played between 1900 and 1950, optimists lived significantly longer. Other studies have shown that optimistic breast cancer patients had better health outcomes than pessimistic and hopeless patients. Less
Stress
Optimists also tend to experience less stress than pessimists or realists. Because they believe in themselves and their abilities, they expect good things to happen. They see negative events as minor setbacks to be easily overcome, and view positive events as evidence of further good things to come. Believing in themselves, they also take more risks and create more positive events in their lives.
Why not take a quick test to determine if you are an optimist or a pessimist ( you might be surprised)
Article from about.com
03.20.08
Ship Wreck
Ship Wreck
by: Author Unknown
——————————————————–
A ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men
on it were able to swim to a small desert like island. The two
survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they have no
other recourse but to pray to God for help.
However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they decided
to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides
of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the
first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the island, and
he was able to eat its fruit. The other man’s parcel of land
remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for
a wife. The next day, there was another ship wreck, and the only
survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island. On the
other side of the island, there still was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, and more food.
The next day, like magic, all of these things were given to him.
However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife
could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked on
his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his
wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He
considered the other man unworthy to receive God’s blessings,
since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from
heaven boom-out, “Why are you leaving your companion on the
island?”
“My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for
them,” the first man answered. “His prayers were all unanswered
and so he does not deserve anything.”
“You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one
prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have
received any of my blessings.”
“Tell me,” the first man asked the voice, “what did he pray for
that I should owe him anything?”
“He prayed that all your prayers would be answered.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers
alone, but those of another praying for us. This is too good not
to share.
With obedience and love for others come blessings. My prayer for you today is that all your prayers will be answered. Be blessed.
“What you do for others is more important than what you do for yourself.”
Thanks for your prayers as I have been in bed with the flu, join me tonight on our Keys To Victorious Faith Call 9PM EST 1-503-767-1200 pin code 51404#
03.14.08
What do you believe they said?
If you must know the Pursuit of Happyness is one of my FAVORITE movies! I could play scene after scene of this movie over and over again.
Here the father is telling his son just because he did not like something or was not good at it that his son will not be good at it either.
This happens in our lives all the time. Things were spoken into our subconscious minds that were not meant to hurt us but in the long run it does.
We see the young son ready to give up and that triggers the father to realize what he has done. But how many times did someone not see what they just deposited into someone’s subconscious mind.
We have to be careful of what we speak to others, what we are planting into their subconscious minds no matter their age.
If you have had things planted that you need to pull up then do so. Change your negative thought processes about you and what you cannot do NOW, pull it up and throw it out.
Do this by replacing your thoughts with affirmations that will help you be the best YOU you were created to be.
Start saying to yourself out loud each day:
It is okay to me.
I love and accept myself just the way I am.
It is good to be ME!
I am a unique and loving person living a fantastic life.
I love myself unconditionally
03.13.08
The Nature of Success
Today I want to share some inpsiration with you. I love when I find videos that inspire and I wanted to share that with you.
Go be an inspiration today because you are an inspiration to me!
03.12.08
Ten Tips to Master Time Management
Ten Tips to Master Time Management
By Kirsty Dunphey
“Until you value yourself… you will not value your time; until you value your time… you will not do anything with it.” – M. Scott Peck, Author
Time management, as anyone who works with me would know, is one of my big complaints, issues, concerns. It’s also one of the most frequent things that people rate themselves lowest on in things like performance reviews.
Today I want to provide you with some simple tips to improve your time management, efficiency and productivity that work for me. Fingers crossed and there may be a few here that work for you too!
1. Eliminate these words from your vocabulary: “I don’t have time.” This one’s a tough one, and although this is one of my aims I’ll admit that sometimes they do slip out, but my aim is consistent – to eliminate them. The next time you go to say those dreaded words, just remember – you have exactly the same amount of time as everyone else, you have exactly the same amount of time in your day as the Olympic swimmer who gets up at 4am, you have the same amount of time in your day as presidents and world leaders who run entire countries. Eliminate the words because what you’re really trying to say is: “I don’t want to make time to do that,” and that’s quite alright too! The next time you go to say “I don’t have time,” imagine if that task you’re saying you don’t have time for was a family member at a hospital – you’d have time to get there, so what you really need to decide is, “Does this deserve my time?”
2. It’s an oldie but a goody – start each day by getting rid of your most despised task. Nothing ruins a day like dreading a task you have to do later in the day.
3. Set rewards for yourself if you can achieve all your tasks, find out what motivates you. For me – it might be that if I can get through these three hard tasks I can eat some of the doughnuts that one of my team brought into work today. Another great thing about that reward is that if I procrastinate – the doughnuts will be gone! Another great thing to do is to buddy up with someone and become accountability partners for getting your tasks done.
4. Unless you have the world’s best memory (I don’t), make lists. When someone gives you a responsibility, write it down, whether you record it in your phone, your organizer, email yourself, write it on the back of a napkin – it doesn’t matter how, write it down! Nothing’s worse than the feeling of waking up in the middle of the night thinking – oh no, I forgot to do that.
5. I’ve never been a huge believer in labeling tasks A, B, C, in order of their importance. I’ve tried this system and it doesn’t work for me – of course that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. What I try to do instead is what I call Little Things First. What this means is that when I get an email, if it’s small or has a small task, I’ll get rid of it quickly rather than continually come back to it over and over again. I have many recurring tasks in my diary and the small things on my list are gone by about 10:30am usually, leaving me the bulk of my day to work on larger projects.
6. Set or get deadlines for your tasks. When setting yourself a task or getting one from someone else – always find out when it needs to be done. Then diarize an appropriate amount of reminders before the due date.
7. Work/life balance seem to be the buzz words all over the world at present – but you really do need to put time and energy into this area. Schedule in time to relax, time with family, time reading, time with your partner – if it’s in your diary and you are committed to it, you’re less likely to neglect it.
8. My desk at work is my haven. My trays work for me. Now I can’t tell you what the best desk system is for you, all I know is that if yours doesn’t make your day easier – change it, constantly change it until you get something that works. For me, I don’t allow anyone to put anything on my desk. My assistant is allowed to put things in one tray and one tray only, everything else is put in my communal pigeon hole. I have a single out tray – this simple tray stops me from getting up 20 or 30 times a day as much of what comes in to me needs to go elsewhere in the office. I have a tray full of non urgent things to read, when I get time, I start going through it. I have a tray full of things I’m waiting on others for and I have an email folder full of these sorts of emails – my diary prompts me with a recurring reminder to check through these two areas. Whatever works for you, works for you, just take some time to find it!
9. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. What’s worse – asking for help once or doing the task incorrectly or incompletely 5 times, or even worse, hiding the work! It happens, don’t be a victim of the “scared to ask” disease.
10. Your mind isn’t a computer, use your computer to help your mind become like one. Each week on a Friday a little reminder comes up in Outlook telling me to send out my weekly email. Each week on a Wednesday I’m told I have two meetings first up. You’re not a machine; use your technology to its best advantage.
“Nothing is a waste of time…if you use the experience wisely.” – Rodin
Kirsty Dunphey is an author, speaker and entrepreneur who started her first business at 15, opened her own real estate agency at 21 and retired a self-made multi-millionaire at 27. To sign up to Kirsty Dunphey’s weekly email.
03.11.08
How Can You Reach Out To Others?
Ladies over the weekend I asked others what we could do to help out others.
I started G.I.R.L.S. as a place to bring women together to inspire and to encourage each other. To join hands together across cyberspace and lift one another up.
I am inspired by Oprah’s Show The Big Give and looking into it further I have found an organization called Volunteer Match.
According to volunteermatch.org
“We make it easy for you to find a volunteer opportunity that fits your interests, skills and schedule.”
There are so many opportunities there! You can look up ways to volunteer by entering your zip code. And for those who cannot leave your house or stay at home moms who have a hard time getting a sitter there is virtual volunteering as well! How cool is that!!!!
Upon further looking there is even volunteermatch.org on Myspace as well. I am moving them to my top friends so you too can easily go there and ask them to be your friend as well. G.I.R.L.S. I want to encourage each of you to go to these sites and see how you can get involved.
If you are doing some other type of volunteering right now locally then good for you, you go girl! I would like for us to share what we are doing and how we are reaching out to others.
And of course I will start…..I do volunteer work with a local maternity home and I am going to go and sign up for some other volunteer opportunities at volunteermatch.org, maybe on the virtual site!
So come on G.I.R.L.S. let’s reach out and make a difference in someone else’s life!
03.10.08
Grateful Monday is the day we party
Good Morning Ladies, it is Monday and that means our Grateful Monday Party on the blog!
For those of you who are new girlfriends; on Monday we have a PARTY here at G.I.R.L.S.
We want to take the time to stop and remind ourselves what we have to be grateful for today!
Life is filled with many things but as we take time to reflect on what we have in our lives that keeps us going, we can handle life much easier.
So take a few minutes to stop and join in the party and tell us what you are grateful for today.
Also remember we are here to encourage one another and inspire one another, so by you participating you never know whose life you are effecting just by writing what you are grateful.
So ladies let’s encourage one another and let’s P-A-R-T-Y!
Today I am grateful for friendships that are always growing.
New beginnings
My daughter being well again.
New clients I meet every day
Always knowing that I am loved.
And this morning coffee, coffee, coffee!!
Ok join in the party…………
03.07.08
Beautiful
This was sent to me by a sweet friend and I had to share it with you. Ladies this is a tissue warning I am telling you right now so consider yourself warned:
After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out
to dinner and a movie. She said, ‘I love you, but I know this other
woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.’The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my Mother, who has
been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three
children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.
That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.
‘What’s wrong, are you well,’ she asked?
My Mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a
surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.
‘I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you, ‘I
responded ‘just the two of us.’ She thought about it for a moment, and
then said, ‘I would like that very much.’
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit
nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to
be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She
had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to
celebrate her last wedding anniversary.
She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel’s. ‘I told my
friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were
impressed,’ she said, as she got into the car. ‘They can’t wait to hear
about our meeting.’ We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant,
was very nice and cozy. My Mother took my arm as if she were the First
Lady.
After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read
large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw
Mother sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.
‘It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small, ’she
said. ‘Then it’s time that you relax and let me return the favor,’ I
responded. During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation nothing
extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other’s life. We
talked so much that we missed the movie. As w e arrived at her house
later, she said, ‘I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me
invite you.’ I agreed. ‘How was your dinner date?’
asked my wife when I got home. ‘Very nice, Much more so than I could
have imagined,’ I answered.
A few days later, my Mother died of a massive heart attack.
It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything for
her. Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant
receipt from the same place Mother and I had dined. An attached note
said: ‘I paid this bill in advance. I wasn’t sure that I could be there;
but nevertheless, I paid for two plates – one for you and the other for
your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you,
son.’
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: ‘I love
YOU’ and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in
life is more important than your family. Give them the time they
deserve, because these things cannot be put off till ’some other time.’
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after
you’ve had a baby …. somebody doesn’t know that once you’re a Mother,
‘normal’ is history.
Somebody said you can’t love the second
child as much as you love the first …. somebody doesn’t h ave two or
more children. Somebody said the hardest part of being a Mother is labor
and delivery …. somebody never watched her ‘baby’ get on the bus for
the first day of kindergarten …. or on a plane headed for military
‘boot camp.’
Somebody said a Mother can stop worrying after her child gets married
…. somebody doesn’t know that marriage adds a new son or
daughter-in-law to a Mother’s heartstrings. Somebody said a Mother’s job
is done when her last child leaves home …. somebody never had
grandchildren. Somebody said your Mother knows you love her, so you
don’t need to tell her …. somebody isn’t a Mother.
Pass this along to all the ‘Mothers ‘ in your life and to everyone who
ever had a mother.
This isn’t just about being a Mother; it’s about appreciating the people
in your lives while you have them …. no matter who that person is.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your Habits, they become character.
Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny…
