Kim and I are in Arizona this week. It's hotter than the inside of an Easy Bake Oven. After a speaking engagement in Scottsdale on Sunday, as I signed books for busy moms and teased little kids, I noticed an elderly woman standing quietly in the background. She looked like she was waiting for the crowd to clear out. Once the activity level died down, she and her walker made their way over to the table where I was sitting. “I want to share a story with you,” she said eagerly. …
Dream Big
Don’t Quit
My friend and colleague Jill Fleming is a Registered Dietitian and wellness speaker who travels the world encouraging people to make "Love Your Body Choices." She recently shared an article for our soon-to-be-released Escape Adulthood magazine. (It's at the printer!) One of the tips in her article is . . . "Squeeze any muscle you wish to tone. Hold it until it starts to burn and then hold 5-seconds longer." Great tip! It also applies to following your dreams. In order to get to the next level in your goals you have to not only let it burn, you have to persist through the burn. Too many …
Making Schools Better: People Trump Government
It's back to school week here in Wisconsin, which reminds me of how much the school system in this country stinks. Not the teachers (well, not most of them), but the system. It's broken. I'm not exactly sure why school boards are run by people who don't know the first thing about running a school (having gone to school doesn't count), or how it's possible to spend almost $9,000 per student on education in this country (which has tripled since 1965, while national academic performance has not improved) and yet still want to throw more money at it. It shouldn't really surprise me, as anything …
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Calling Your Shot
Christina over at Writer Mama challenged me the other day to reveal "Eight Random Things About Me." Since I did a similar post a few months ago after Phil's request, I decided to take a different slant on this. I've tweaked it to be "Eight Random Things About Me In Eight Years." Last month I talked about the importance of life lists and the power in writing down your goals. In that vain, I have decided to reveal the list I will write eight years from today, Aug. 16, 2015. I will be 37 years young. Essentially, I'm "calling my shot." Here goes... 1. I love being a mom! Our kids bring me …
The New American Dream
When success is equated with excess The ambition for excess wrecks us As top of the mind becomes the bottom line When success is equated with excess If your time ain't been nothing for money I start to feel really bad for you, honey Maybe honey, put your money where your mouth's been running If your time ain't been nothing but money I want out of this machine It doesn't feel like freedom …
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Just Doing It
One of the excuses people often give for not going after their dreams is that they're not educated enough, in one way or another. Now that might involve something like having a degree, but it goes way beyond that. You may be hesitant to move forward on something if you haven't had a lesson, a class, or some sort of prior hands-on experience in that area. And so you wait until a class is offered, the timing is better, or you can drum up enough money and/or time to go back to school. Meanwhile your dream sits on the mantle collecting dust. Scott offers up a pretty good argument for not …
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My Life List
I love working on my life list. Do you have one? It's a compilation of the things you wish to experience, accomplish, and/or attain (a.k.a. your dreams). I wrote my first official LL about 4-5 years ago. It's been neat seeing how many things have been checked off since then. Here are a few of the highlights... 1- I've visited Boston in the fall. 2- I have seen the pandas in the San Diego Zoo. 3- I have toured Washington D.C. 4- I drink 8 glasses of water everyday. It's also exciting to see the ones that are about to happen very soon... …
Why Dads are Great
This from an e-mail I got yesterday from my Dad, regarding the new office:Well you reached a huge milestone on Wednesday. The owner has no idea how famous his property will become, and in time it will be a milestone for him too.Now I know that not everyone is blessed to have such supportive parents (and in-laws, too!). But when you're chasing a dream, it's awfully hard to make it without SOMEBODY cheering you on. Be sure to take time to thank God for the parents, teachers, coaches, siblings, and friends in your life that are your biggest fans. …
Movin’ On Up
In the life of this little company, today was a pretty momentous day. We signed the lease to a new office space. Yep, this ranks right up there in the pantheon of scary decisions with Kim quitting her safe, dependable, benefits-laden job. And when I wrote this post over FIVE years ago, I had NO idea that it would take so long to move the business into a "real" office. It's not that I don't enjoy working out of my home, but the Big Closet is about to stage a revolt and I barely remember what it's like to have a bedroom just for sleeping. …
This One’s for the Grads
It's graduation time again. My release date was eight years ago -- gosh how time flies! For the seniors grabbing their college diploma, it's that weird time of life where idealism mixes with reality. The ratio of the two tends to vary with each person. On one hand, you are finally on your own, and hopefully, you're at the doorstep of what you hope to be a career you've always dreamed about. On the other hand, you're feeling the pressure of actually being on your own (now the bills all come in your name!), and may be eager to jump at the first opportunity that offers you a steady paycheck …