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Life 101

Posted by Pat on September 11, 2012 in Uncategorized |
Here’s one of my favorite stories:

Little Emma is 6 years old and in first grade and it’s the end of the first week. When Mom picked her up from school, Emma bounced happily into the car. “How was school today, honey?” Immediately and very happily, Emma answered: “I had my first test today!” “How’d you do?” And without hesitation, she shouted “I got 30%!”

Oh my god…how hard can first grade be? Wouldn’t they make it really possible to succeed on your first test?
And Mom almost said, “Oh, honey, you must feel terrible” but said with divine guidance, “How did that make you feel?”
“I GOT SOME RIGHT!” she shouted.
    What a great way to see the world. I’m not suggesting we should shoot for 30%, but as we move on our journey, we too get some right and some wrong. Let’s celebrate them both!
    After all, we’re all enrolled in Life 101 and it isn’t the grade we earn that’s so important, but rather that we learn what we can while we’re enrolled!
     Mitch Albolm has a new book out titled “Time Keeper,” a compelling fable about the man who became Father Time. In it he shares his thoughts on what we should be focused on rather than just the time we have or don’t have left, on why we are here and how important it is to use our time/life to its fullest.
    So what’s Life 101 for each of us?
    It’s all the choices, the decisions, the steps we take from moment to moment, day to day, year to year.
    The verbs we live-that is, the actions we take-create the landscape of our lives.
    Sometimes there seems to be no clear path.
    And other times we are following a winding yellow brick road through the scary forest or through the mind-numbing poppy fields on the way through the land of Oz.
    And yet, from the higher perspective of our hot air balloon (or in the opportunity that hindsight provides!) we can see the edge of the forest, the edge of the field, and the entrance to the Emerald City.
    And like the hike through any landscape, the process is messy while we’re in it, and there is just no way we can see a clear path, until we’re finished.
    So it’s okay to be lost.
    It’s okay to be lost and not know-because that’s what learning is, that’s what life is. Whether we’re an Emma in first grade or a bewildered adult, life is all about the learning.
    Why are we here? Because we have
  • lessons to learn
  • choices to make
  • skills to master
  • time to spend
  • joy to experience!

And since no one is responsible for grading us/judging us, we can take a deep breath, give thanks for being alive and just play/work/grow/live/love/give/…!

    What are you doing with this opportunity?  What gift do you want to give to the world? your community? your family? yourself?
    Picking one to focus on right now is smarter than feeling overwhelming by trying to do a bunch right now.
    Eating that “elephant” can be done only one bite at a time. And where you start (trunk? tail? leg? side?) is up to you! Share your choice with us in the comment section below.

6

Every End is a New Beginning

Posted by Pat on September 2, 2012 in Uncategorized |

    Summer is winding down, and we can feel it because after Labor Day, fall unofficially begins. The school year gets underway. The Halloween decorations come out in the stores.     The weather sort of sneaks up on us-cool one day and hot the next. And “Indian summer” is fun to look forward to as […]

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The Power of Your Words

Posted by Pat on August 24, 2012 in Uncategorized |

    Have you ever seen it rain cats and dogs? How healthy are you if you are fit as a fiddle? Have you ever blown your top, lost your marbles, or been in a pickle or a jam? How many times have you paid an arm and a leg for something?      These phrases illustrate […]

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Your Journey or Your Destination?

Posted by Pat on August 17, 2012 in Uncategorized |

Back in 1979 a questionnaire in Success Magazine was sent to 1134 adults asking the simple question: “Is success a destination or a journey?” The result was 926 said it was a destination! But success is not just a destination. It is a journey. When my sister and I took a trip to France last year, our enjoyment […]

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Eat Dessert First!

Posted by Pat on August 12, 2012 in Uncategorized |

Life is uncertain…eat dessert first! Just the message you would expect from a previous chocolate store owner! (My sister and I were smart enough never to hire the applicant who said “I’d give anything to work in a chocolate store!” for we couldn’t afford the loss of inventory!) We’ve all been inundated with a glut […]

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Are You As Happy As Your Dog?

Posted by Pat on August 1, 2012 in Uncategorized |

We’re in the midst of it! What is it? And why should we care? It’s the “Dog Days of Summer” from July 3 to August 11 each year, so named by the Romans after Sirius, the “Dog Star.” Have you noticed any conspicuous laziness of your dog during these hot and sultry days? Or even of yourself? Lollygagging around? […]

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Powerful Lessons from Stephen R. Covey

Posted by Pat on July 24, 2012 in Uncategorized |

Think of what the most important resources in your life have been. Stephen Covey’s death this last week brought to my memory one of my very favorite resources, the business AND personal growth book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” from 20 years ago. The principles that Covey shared in his writings are timeless, […]

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The Answers Are in the Back of the Book!

Posted by Pat on July 16, 2012 in Uncategorized |

Do you remember that first day in algebra class when they passed out the textbooks and you discovered the answers were in the back of the book? I do! I thought I had gotten the teacher’s  book by mistake, but then I looked around and saw that everyone else had the answers too!   I […]

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Let’s Color Outside the Lines!

Posted by Pat on July 7, 2012 in Uncategorized |

       Most of us spent our childhood learning to color inside the lines, to do it right. Our parents and teachers wanted us to fit in, to succeed. Do you remember?      I remember the art lesson in kindergarten when we were asked to draw a tree. I pictured the tree outside my bedroom […]

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Who’s Driving Your Car?

Posted by Pat on July 1, 2012 in Uncategorized |

Who’s Driving Your Car? Sometimes we act as if we were passengers in the car of our life! Are we “just along for the ride”? When did we hand over to someone (or something) else the ability to decide where we are going? What route to take? How fast we want to travel? Since it […]

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