I’m a softie. I love comfort. I love ease. I love doing things that I’m good at. I’ll bet you, too, enjoy the effortless simplicity associated with your comfort zones. But do you ever entertain the thought of doing something challenging? Something that pushes you, that makes you sweat? When that thought occurs, do you simply push that pesky notion out of your mind? Most of us do – because doing something challenging and new would most likely be hard. And dealing with difficulty and discomfort isn’t fun. The problem is that none of us like the “stupid phase”. The “stupid phase” that typically accompanies any new effort or learning process is the direct opposite of the comfort zone. It’s… [Read More]
Love, Love, Love
It’s February – the love month. Actually, we didn’t have to wait until February to begin thinking about it, did we? Stores in my area had the Valentines and candy hearts out the day after Christmas! After all, no retailer worth his/her salt would let a day go by without gearing up for the next big $$$ event. Yes, retailers love Valentine’s Day, and here’s why. The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend $18.2 billion (that’s billion with a “B”) on Valentine goodies. Here’s how it breaks down – jewelry $4.3 billion, flowers $2 billion, candy $1.7 billion, greeting cards $1 billion, and then, of course, when you add in dinner and a movie, it’s easy to get… [Read More]
SO-SO
It’s 2019. Will you be living the “Same-Old-Same-Old”, a life that’s just “so-so”? If you watched any of the memorial services honoring the late President George Herbert Walker Bush, perhaps you remember references to CAVU, a Naval acronym that stands for Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited. It’s a phrase used by Navy pilots to describe the weather they desire when flying off of an aircraft carrier. The term truly described Bush’s courage and optimism, a philosophy lived out by a man who never lost his passion for his family and country, his sense of humor, or his desire for trying new experiences – like celebrating his 80th, 85th, and 90th birthdays by sky-diving. As Vice-President Pence noted in his comments, for… [Read More]
What’s on Your List?
With the holidays just around the corner, many of us are focused on shopping for gifts for family and friends. Decisions made on Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the other no-name shopping days are often driven by “wish lists”. Perhaps you’ve made a wish list to share with those who may be gifting you this year. Here’s a challenge for you. Make a list of gifts to give to yourself. Now, I don’t mean material gifts that can be purchased at the mall or online — not the latest iPhone, an Instapot, fuzzy house shoes, or a Ferrari. What I’m talking about are gifts that only you can give to yourself and which, in most cases, don’t cost much, if… [Read More]
“T” is for “Thankful”
Just for fun, see if you can find your thesaurus — that reference book that you had in high school or college that lists synonyms (words that mean the same) and antonyms (words that mean the opposite). By the way, the word “thesaurus” comes from a Latin word that means “storehouse of knowledge”. (That may be more information than you wanted, right?) Chances are, you may not have looked at your thesaurus in years, so if you can’t find it, try looking in that forgotten corner on the top shelf of your bookcase. If you prefer an electronic thesaurus, look for it on the top shelf of your tool bar under “Tools”. With either method, go to the listings under… [Read More]
