Winning Strategies

Stones Into Schools

It is Memorial Day- a day of reflection of the sacrifices that our armed forces have made towards our freedom and rights. I'm settled into a comfy chair at the Harbour Pool reading 'Stones into Schools'. I've been trying to figure out the next phase/step of my 'change the world one life at a time' personal goal. Books like this one are inspiring and rejuvenating.

It references an African proverb that the author often heard in Tanzania,

   " If you teach a boy, you educate an individual; but if you teach a girl, you educate a community."

I agree with the belief that educating the girls of the world will have a dramatic effect on our communities and our world.

Education, in general, is a critical topic since the depleting asset of our own youth here in the states has affected our ability to compete in a global economy.

I'm developing an awareness around the educational needs both locally and around the world. Since self esteem usually holds us back, maybe there is a way to incorporate 'opportunity' thinking into our schools in the states as well as building schools in other countries.  This might be a good way to start. I'm not yet sure where this journey will end or even where it will begin, for that matter. I know only that my heart cries out for solutions that allow a brighter future for the children of the world. For some unknown reason, God has placed a burden on my heart for these girls.

http://www.stonesintoschools.com/

S

Living Life in Black and White

Are you living life in black and white? Are you hurrying through the moments or truly living IN the moments as they are presented to you. Do you stop to grab the hand of a loved one? Do you clench their arm and go in for a long kiss?

Are you fully living life in color or just black and white? Are you letting the days drizzle by, unaware of their significance or meaning?

Spend a moment breathing in the air. Take an hour to truly BE WITH someone you love (no cell phones or diversions). If they died tonight, could you remember the lines of their face, the gleam of their eyes, and the way that you felt when you were next to them?

Have you memorized their face? Their mannerisms? Having lost people that I love in the blink of an eye- I have become ever aware of the black and white lives that we often lead. I'm guilty as well. We fall asleep. We close our eyes and the world passes us by. We blink, and we've lost the moment to make a memory.

I vividly remember some moments of my life- like they were yesterday. Moments that will forever stand tall in my memories- moments that I lived in full color. Have you made enough of those moments?

So You Wanna Be Published

A VERY common question that I get since my first book came out, is how do I get to be published?  It is, indeed, a long and arduous journey.  A contact of mine, Mary Demuth, helps writers on their journey to publication with her 'Writer's Spa' and an excellent web site on being published. 

 I highly recommend that you reach out to Mary if you have questions or needs regarding getting your book published.

Log on to her web site:  http://www.wannabepublished.blogspot.com/

She will help you on your journey to publication.  Good Luck

Habits of the Happiest Couples I know...

I really love it when someone finds a few great suggestions that remind us of what we know, yet encourage us to think about what she should be thinking about.  I love this short slide show by Good Housekeeping with the habits/tips of the happiest couples she knows:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/staticslideshowgh.aspx?cp-documentid=24065118&GT1=32023

Try on one or two of these habits...you just might find that they fit you like a glove AND they improve your relationship.

Aligned Incentives

If you are struggling to achieve something at your company, there is a good chance that your organization hasn't aligned the necessary incentives to make it happen. I was amazed by the power of aligned incentives early on in my career.

I had been struggling to achieve a goal set out by my superior. Without organizational support, it was an exercise in frustration. I had that discussion with the CEO one day and he re-wrote a job description and incentive for a key leader with a broad range of responsibility and staff. He made it so that this key person in the organization wouldn't hit their bonus unless we achieved that objective.

It was like night and day. This became an easy objective to meet. With his support, I had access to key resources necessary to achieve the goal.

Try to align incentives in your organization necessary to meet the goals and objectives laid out.
Your organization will achieve more while creating a better working environment for your employees. Your bottom line will increase as well. Win/win/win

Rethink Possible

I love AT&T's new slogan, rethink possible.  Isn't that what we all need to do?  Don't we FORGET what is really possible?  Don't we 'lower' our standards and expecations of ourselves to bring down the bar so that we can easily pass it?

Rethink the possible.  Yes.  I think we need to invision a better reality and a better future for ourselves.  I believe that we need to create a new possible.  We need to form a new reality going forward that is all that we want it to be and then create that reality.  Today, I'm trying to also convince myself (as well as you) that I need to do that.  It is easy to be pulled down into the negativity of our environments at times and just accept and settle for the status quo.  It doesn't have to be that way.  We control and create our 'possible'.  We create our reality.

Rethink your possible and add elements that you'd like to see into your life and your schedule and create the plan that incorporates those things into your days.  Re-imagine your attitude and re-focus your energy on the positive.  Re-create a new perspective and a new joy.   Face the world with a new you starting tomorrow.  You do that and I'll try to do the same.

Dealing with Death

When we lose someone, it rocks us to the core.  It hurts, and life seems to stand still.  It is almost like the earth stops moving for a period of time.  Eventually when we aren't looking, the earth starts moving again.  Slowly we try to move back into our routine and hope that the pain slowly dissipates.  For all those that have lost someone....this post is for you.

From the Grave

Tender Love
So unique, so strong
A love that keeps burrowing on

Forever there
Forever still
Loving us from beyond

Thoughts a Blazin'

I am sitting at the lake, staring out over the water with thoughts a blazin'. I am thinking of the best days of my life and the worst days of my life and all those in-between. Amazingly, many days fall into the 'average' category. We live the majority of our lives on 'average'. So, how can we kick it into the next level? How do we daily live a superb life?

I think it starts by putting the needs of others before our own. Now I must warn you that this will be hard. Others will not be putting your needs before theirs. It will begin to transform your life. You will make a bigger impact on the world.

I think on all the people that have loved me in the past and present and I'm so very thankful for the deep love that I've had the privilege of calling mine. I can feel sad and alone and 'call back' amazing feelings of love from my early 20's. It is a blessing.

As you forge forward today, dig deep to determine what grade you'd give yourself for the life you are living. Try to bump it up a notch from AVERAGE TO SUPERB. You do that and I'll try to do the same.

The Pressure to Be Thin

We have created an undue burden on our daughters and ourselves. Through our advertisements and television shows, we have promulgated an image of 'beauty' that is pure thin, creating pressure on our girls to be that thin. It is disheartening and heart wrenching to watch them struggle to achieve that goal.How can we teach them that the value of their hearts and 'who they are' as a person is worth FAR MORE than their external image? We have left them believing that the external image is more important than what's inside.

I am saddened to watch our young ones struggle with their identities and an inability to both comprehend and fully accept the true meaning of beauty. Think of some of the 'beautiful' people that have changed the world; Mother Teresa, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, Diane Sawyer, and my mother Elois Eastman, just to name a few. Let's help our daughters choose role models that are beautiful on the inside! Let's teach them what's really important! (And it has little to nothing to do with their waistline)

You Benefit from My Struggles

You may not know it, but if you've ever read the blog, been encouraged by the blog or the website, or met with me for coaching or personal development--then you have benefited from the life changing effects that struggles have had on me. I'm passionate about helping others because I've struggled. I want to raise awareness of the struggles women face in climbing the ladder because it was a difficult and arduous climb for me. I want to help you succeed because many people aided me along my path and I want to do the same for you.

The struggles you've faced have given you an individual perspective that molds you into who you are. It helps you to change a life. My struggles (and there have been many) have moved me to action. They have made me who I am. They have uniquely positioned me to give and give and give even when I don't see the impact or the end result. It is bigger than us.

It is about what we can do to change the world- one person/impact at a time.