Winning Strategies

2012 Has Arrived

Whether or not you rang in the new year with great fanfare or quietly at home, the new year has arrived. What a great time to review 2011, your highs and lows and plan a few goals for 2012.

Thinking Time
I'm sitting in the sun on a beautiful 65ish degree day in Dallas. I'm at the lake watching a family of cranes enjoy the water and weather. I'm away from the kids and the hustle and bustle of work and home life, and I have a chance to think. Where do you go to think? Find somewhere, take a moment and just sit in the solitude to think.  Let your mind wander around 2011 and into 2012 and beyond.  Think on the good, the bad, what you'd love to stay the same, and what you'd love to change.

Review 2011
In my head I plan out our 2011 'year in review'. This is our annual collage that I do in PowerPoint that summarizes the year and significant events for our family. It is my version of 'the letter' that many do annually. It has become a tradition. From my mental 'list' of annual events that occurred in 2011, I create the collage that commemorates the year for our family.

Plan 2012 Extra-curricular Activities
Next, I think through places I'd love to see, vacations I'd like to take and sporting events, museums, and locales I'd like to visit.  In my mind I review what I want to see and do. I'm amazed at how my life has changed since I got it into my head that my life was mine to design.  If you can think it up, create it, you can do it.

Where do you want to go, visit, what do you want to see? When could you schedule that activity? How could you come up with the funds? Have a practical dreaming/planning session with yourself.

Life Goals
Finally, think about personal relationship, health and work goals. Are there areas of your life you've been neglecting or need some work? I know I have a few of these. Jot down some simple goals in this area.

What do you want to do when you grow up?
Or more realististically, some of you are looking at retirement with no plans for what floats your boat. Start doing something YOU LOVE to do in 2012- a hobby, task or activity that you enjoy. Map a plan to a future that you want to be in.

Happy New Year my friends!

An Invisible Thread- Must Read Book

Today I am going to read. With the hurried lives we lead, we get too caught up in television and 'tasks' and we forget the amazing gift of a great book and a few silent moments to read.

I'm going to read 'An Invisible Thread'.
Towards the beginning of the book, it reads, "I am a woman whose life runs on schedules. I make appointments, I fill slots, I micromanage the clock. I bounce around from meeting to meeting, ticking off a list. I am not merely punctual; I am fifteen minutes early for any and every engagement. This is how I live; it is who I am- but some things in life do not fit neatly into a schedule."  Sound familiar?  Take a moment off from your hectic schedule and immerse yourself in a good book.  For me, it is going to be 'An Invisible Thread'.  It is about a woman who touched someone else's life to make a difference in their path.

Make a goal to read a book- try An Invisible Thread- and then commit to changing/affecting a life that you encounter in 2012.  Here's to making 2012 a better world to live in.
Web Site:  http://aninvisiblethread.com/

Christmas in Art

In 1375, Robert Campin painted this scene entitled 'The Nativity'.  The number of portraits of Christ's birth that have been painted over the years amaze me.  It was one of the amazing things I noticed while perusing the Louvre' in Paris several years ago. 

As you set out with family to enjoy the occasion, don't forget the reason for the season.  

Wishing you and yours a very happy and relaxing Christmas. 

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Motivation, Inspiration, ACTION (Next Week)- - Pause a Bit Today

Feeling a little droopy?  If you were one of the seven dwarfs, what would your name be?  Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, or Dopey?  The holidays tend to keep us in a flurry of activities until we are ready to drop.  We hustle and bustle around, almost too busy to enjoy family, friends, and time together.

As you embark upon Christmas, stop for a moment to enjoy the season.  Pause to reflect on all that you have been blessed with.  Kiss those you love and say the things that are often left unsaid.  It is a difficult time to S-L-O-W down a bit, but try desperately to do JUST THAT!

If you can manage a few short breaks, a little PAUSE in your activity level, you will see the vivid color and warmth all around you.

Leave tomorrow for motivation, inspiration and action.  Take a little time today to pause, rest, and enjoy time with family and friends.  Merry Christmas!

Bring Thanksgiving into Christmas

The kids are home for Christmas break.  Yesterday I made my youngest watch 'It's a Wonderful Life'.  I love that movie.  How many times do we see the world through eyes that don't 'see', how many times do we judge our circumstances through minds that don't 'remember', and how many times do we allow ourselves to be sad when we have everything to be 'thankful' and satisfied for?  Too many times.  That is the answer.  Way too many times.

No matter where this holiday season finds you, take a moment to alter your perspective and appreciate the things that you don't 'see', the things you don't 'remember', and the things that you should be thankful for.

We have a way of remembering only the bad, and forgetting the good.  Make a concerted effort to focus on the things in your life that you have to be thankful for.

The list may be longer than you might think.  My list starts out like this:  electricity, toiletts, health, family, a roof over my head, a job, people that I love to work with, amazing friends, a great church home, beautiful children, car that runs, food to eat, parents that are still alive and doing well, neices and nephews, fun activities I get to engage in (writing books and speaking), an amazing husband, clothes, heat , flooring, ability to walk through the streets without walking through sewage, medical care, sunshine, trees, gorgeous grandchild, brother, and the list could go on and on and on.

Make your list! When everyone is scurrying around and preparing for Christmas, make a list of the things that you are thankful for.  In my mind, I can take myself back to the village in Africa that i wakled through.  I can see the hungry children, and the huts, I can smell the smells, and see the poverty.  I can feel the emotions of the people around me.  In my mind I can travel back to that small village in Africa and remind myself EXACTLY all the things we have to be thankful for. 

Bring Thanksgiving into your Christmas.  Remember your blessings.

 

Life Can Change in an Instant

I sit at my desk and try to concentrate on the work before me.  It all seems like a blur of words and computer images.  My mind is floating. 

 In an instant, in a second in time, your life can change.  I drift back to Jeff's motorcycle accident and think about the course of events that began with that fateful moment that ended his life on Dec 15, 1995.  I now think of his mother, Lucille Carter, lying in a hospital, fighting the stroke that has forever changed her body and her life.

I drift to my sweet baby girl that is getting ready to get married and I , in my mind, picture her a young girl- like in this photo, clinging to her mother and hoping that I can remove pain.

As we enter this Thanksgiving week.  Be thankful for all that you have been given.  Hug those that you love as if you will never hold them again.  Affirm those around you and leave no words unspoken.  Today is your day to LIVE LIFE to the fullest.  Recognize that today is a gift- a precious gift.

Find Thanksgiving in your heart and time to think of all the things that you are grateful for.  Happy week of Thanksgiving.

 

Happy Mothers Day 2011

I wrote this in 2003- I still feel the same, although the ages of my children have changed.  They are now 24, 16, and 12.

A Mother's Joy

My children are sixteen, eight and four
To me they are precious
I couldn't ask for more

Heather is caring, sweet and polite
Brandon is growing and oh so bright
Caleb is full of vigor and might

Together they combine to make my life whole
Their smiles delight me
They burn brightness into my soul

The sun shine, the deep blue sea
Nothing can compare to
The love that i have for these three

I love you my darling children- - and I always will

Your Mother

 
 
 

Renewing Your Spirit

Sometimes we need to take a break from our routine. Life quickly becomes over scheduled and we start to miss out on the true gifts in life. We become too busy for a moment with a loved one, a sincere face to face conversation (no gadgets), a hug from our children, or a slow relaxing walk in the park. Our attitude suffers as well and our responses to others are less loving and kind.

We have to force ourselves to break from our routines and create opportunities to revisit life from a different perspective. We have to mold our perspective, reminding ourselves what we have to be grateful for. It is all a matter of perspective.

I'm sitting in the lobby of the Adolphus Hotel in downtown Dallas. The lobby is decorated beautifully. It has a 20 foot Christmas tree with lights and garland sprinkled around the vast room.

Last night was our company Christmas party and we decided to stay downtown to rest and renew. The Christmas party was fun. I love seeing co-workers in relaxed and happy versions of themselves.

As you venture into this busy holiday time of the year, take a minute or two to enjoy the moment.

Merry Christmastime my faithful readers. Thank you for visiting my blog and making it possible for me to continue doing one of my blessings in my life- writing this motivational blog.
 

Create a Memory This Holiday Weekend

As I settle into my weekend, I'm excited about a little R & R and a chance to hang out with the kidds and relax.  One kid is sick (murphy's law), yet I'm not going to let that stop me from enjoying time in my schedule that I usually don't have.

I jump onto the ten speed bike and head off to the lake.  The wind is blowing in my face and the temperature is perfect.  I'm daydreaming about a trip to Bora Bora that we took in April of this year.  My mind drifts off to the sun, sand, and the beaches of Bora Bora. 

Yesterday I took my 15 year old to look at cars.  We didn't go because we were going to buy one, we were just dreaming and hanging out together.  It was more about having fun and visualizing a future than it was about a practical purchase.  Afterwards,  we headed off to Hobby Lobby and he purchased a model engine and a model car to assemble.  Success.  He has something to do over the holiday weekend. 

Do something you don't normally do this weekend.  Use a muscle that you haven't used.  Take your bike out or go for a walk.  Enjoy a special activity with your kids, spouse, or simply on your own.    Make a memory.  Happy Holiday.

Couples Retreat

After our annual couples retreat, we are back at work and settling into life as usual.  We are back to the day to day normalcy of routine with kids, chores, work, and much to do.

When we return from these retreats, we talk more, spend more time together, are more caring, and generally just nicer to each other (and the kids).  It is a nice chance to refresh and renew our relationship.  I often talk to couples that say that they don't have time or resources for an annual get away.  It doesn't have to be an expensive trip nor does it have to last a long time.  I always tell couples that the odds are set against us.  We are dealing with divorce rates in this country of over 50%.  You may think you cannot afford the time away from work, but you cannot afford to lose the relationship either.  Think of the cost of a divorce and living in separate households.  Our relationship is the best investment that we can make for our future and the future of our children.

As the year wears on, we slip into busy mode and, we too think we are too busy or lack resources for a trip.  Then we go....and our resolve dimishes.  The refreshing retreat  bolsters our spirits.  We begin to dream.  We begin to think about life after the kids are grown.  We dream together.  We create ideas and thoughts for a future.  We become more a unit and less of the two individuals that started out on the trip.  It proves to be more valuable than money.

Our children see and feel the difference when we come back.  We are virtually different people.  Of course we are different people, can you imagine how relaxed we are after several days of no work, no schedules and no kids?  We have become heavy proponents of a couples retreat annually.  Why?  Because we have personally seen the benefits.  We have felt the closeness of renewing our relationship.  We have taken time to fall in love again. 

Consider taking the plunge.  You took the big plunge by getting married.  You took a bigger plunge when you had kids.  Take time to get away.  You will find benefits untold in an annual couples get-away.