Daily Dose

Sometimes reality just bites.  There is no other way to say it.  Each week I receive analytics for the Daily Dose and the web site overall.  And the reality is both have flat-lined, as in no visitors.  Hmmm … that means that I am literally talking to myself.  So, I am going to suspend the Daily Dose for the unforeseen future.

If by some odd chance you are reading this, please do me a favor and go to the ‘Connect’ header on the ribbon and just drop me a note that says you read it.  I would appreciate knowing if anyone is out there!

Thanks for stopping by for your Daily Dose.

I have decided to do tomorrow’s Daily Dose tonight while some thoughts are fresh in my mind.  Today I overheard multiple conversations as I waited in lines, sat among others and just generally was out in public.  It’s always amazing to me what people will say and discuss on cell phones while in public.  Do they not realize that everyone can hear them?  Or, do they just not care?

Anyway, what really caught my ear today were the number of discussions that involved how parents are handling their children these days.  I’m guessing that parent/teacher conferences must have occurred this week, because many conversations revolved around performance levels of the children.  It was very enlightening.

What I heard today were parents who were frustrated because their child did not excel in every category.  I heard parents lamenting that their child received a B in a particular topic which ruined their perfect 4.0.  The parent was horrified and angry with the child!  I heard one parent discussing what privileges would be taken away from their child because they failed to bring up 2 grades from the last grading period.  I’m thinking the children are failing, but further discussion revealed the standing grades were both high B’s. What?

I listened to the frustration in their voices and their solutions – all of which involved the removal of privileges, and adding pressure on the children to “make them perform”. Not one conversation involved understanding or encouragement.  And I thought to myself, ‘and so it begins’.

I certainly was not a perfect parent, and I likely applied pressure to my boys often. But if I learned anything from my experience as a mom, it is that applying pressure to children generally does not result in the outcome you think it will.  Kids are under enough pressure in today’s society without parents adding to it because a grade of B was received instead of an A.   What are parents thinking??

I implore you, if you have children, focus on what is important in your relationship with your offspring.  Trust me, that B won’t mean a thing 10 years from now.  Your understanding, your encouragement will mean the world to your son or daughter now and in the future. And although I realize that pressure is what changes coal to diamonds, it takes thousands of years!  Neither you nor your children will be around thousands of years from now, so lighten up!!  And remember, those standing near you and around you CAN hear everything you are saying about and to your child.  Watch your language!

Thanks for stopping by for your Daily Dose!

I am guessing that every one of us has seen those plate spinners who keep dozens of plates spinning high in the air on very thin reeds. We watch and sometimes hold our breath as we see certain plates slowing down.  We will the spinner to get to each one before one falls and breathe a sigh of relief when all stay atop their perches.

Our lives are pretty much the same.  We all have multiple plates spinning including  business plates,  personal plates,  family plates, children’s plates, volunteer plates, and so on.  Often when we take on something new, we don’t stop to consider how many plates we already have spinning.  I sometimes wonder if we would visualize our life as as a stage full of plates when someone asked us to add something else, if we would agree. 

I do know that as we keep our plates spinning we sometimes feel guilty that one isn’t our focus, or that one is slowing down, or heaven forbid, one should fall!  We strive for the element of perfection, when in reality all we need to do is pay attention.  Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo! puts it this way:

“You need not feel guilty about not being able to keep your life perfectly balanced.  Juggling everything is too difficult.  All you really need to do is catch it before it hits the floor!”

I like the way she thinks!  Take the pressure off of yourself!  Not every plate has to spin at warp speed.  Spin each one as needed and as it is a priority for you.  You’ll find your world far more relaxed and only the plates will spin, instead of your head!

Thanks for stopping by for your Daily Dose!

Recently one of my coaching clients asked me this question: “How will I know if I’m ready to make a change and take charge of my life?”  Good question! It’s one of those things that no one can answer for you, but I personally believe you will be emotionally ready to create something new for yourself when you can answer these questions (paraphrased from author John Newman)  in the affirmative.

1. Can I pursue this dream and still maintain my personal integrity?
2. Do I have the courage to see this through, regardless of the outcome?
3. Am I truly committed to taking the action necessary to achieve my goal?
4. Am I in control of my thoughts and realistic about the potential?
5. Have I done my homework and am I truly aware of what lies ahead?

Making any change is a big step and not one to take lightly.  But, preparing yourself for the possible outcomes is a major step forward in your quest. When you make a decision, go back to these 5 questions and apply them.  If your answers continue to be yes – you are on the right path.  Go for it!

Thanks for stopping by for your Daily Dose!

Sometimes things get crazy around us and cause us to lose focus.  Sometimes we wonder,  why am I doing what I’m doing?  What seemed clear at some point may seem fuzzy or blurry to us.  Finding the focus for our actions and daily interactions is an important step in achieving our goals.  No one can focus for us and no one can lead us to all the steps we need to take.  That’s for each of us to learn on our own, but where do we start?  Here’s something that was swimming in my brain this morning and I’ve decided to share.  I hope you enjoy it.

When it seems your world is inside out, and you don’t know where to go

It’s time to turn away from worry to something that you know

There is a place that always is the best place to start

The place that holds your thoughts and dreams, the place we call the heart

For within your heart you’ll find those things that mean the most to you

The things you wish for, want most of all, the things you’re meant to do

So look to your heart and find your joy, then pursue your heart’s desire

With vision and passion and energy, that’s all that you’ll require

And when your dream is a reality and your world is back on par

 Take credit for your courage and be happy with who you are.

Thanks for stopping by for your Daily Dose!

About a hundred years ago when I was in elementary school, our report cards had two sections – one for the subjects such as reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, etc. and a second section that evaluated our behavior.  The behavioral side was a long list of things you should be doing and if you didn’t measure up you received a dreaded check-mark.  It was easy for parents to tell what was going on by simply scanning that side of the card, the presence of check-marks meant bad news.

Several of the categories I particularly remember were ‘plays well with others’, ‘respects others’ and ‘uses time wisely’.  Trust me, there were at least a dozen others, but these stay with me even today. Today I wonder if these were still a part of the evaluation process, which categories would be most consistently checked?

I, for one, am betting that ‘uses time wisely’ would be the #1 category receiving a mark.  I say this because I personally believe that children and adults today no longer know how to use their time wisely.  Time is spent on social media sites letting everyone know our every move, we now ‘pin’ ideas to other ideas provided by others online, we tweet our every thought and move and we spend endless hours with our eyes glued to a computer, tablet or phone screen playing games or finding the cheats for the games.

I challenge you today to take a look at your own social media habits.  Are you posting endless strings and numbers of posts, many brought from other favorite sites?  Are you spending time gathering ideas from a myriad of sites and filing them somewhere for possible future use?  Just think what you could accomplish if you would actually use some of those ideas! Instead of searching for new ones, use some of the ones you already have.  Take some action!! It’s amazing how many goals can be achieved when you do something other than just think about it!

I’m not saying social media is a total waste of time, but I implore you to ask yourself is you would be receiving a check-mark in ‘uses time wisely’.

Thanks for stopping by for your Daily Dose.

Here’s a thought to carry through your weekend:

“Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to doing what they want to do.” Kathleen Winsor

Take time for you on this extended weekend and find joy in something you want to do, not have to do!

Thanks for stopping by for your Daily Dose!

Many of you know that I gain inspiration from children’s books and authors.  Dr. Seuss is one of my favorites simply because of his unique outlook on life.  Dr. Bill Cosby is also a favorite because he has the ability to see things through a child’s eye and respond in like fashion.  As a child I never really paid much attention to authors or the introduction to books, I usually just dove right into the story. But that all changed with time.

This week, I had the pleasure of spending time with my 14 month old Grandson.  For part of our time together we looked at books and I watched him take in the colors and run his fingers over the textures as he listened to me read words, that likely meant nothing to him.  But the cadence of my voice brought smiles and sometimes little chuckles.

When I returned home, I went to my bookshelf which includes children’s classics and lots of young reader books.  This time as I opened them, I paid attention to the opening pages and was delighted when I found this in one:

“Let Your Dreams Take Flight with this Book that Belongs to __________”

It just made me smile!  What a wonderful way to encourage a little one to read the book.  But beyond that, what a wonderful thought to continue to repeat to a child. “Let your dreams take flight.”  If more parents would encourage their children to let their dreams take flight instead of encouraging them to go play a video game, can you imagine what these young ones could come up with?

I remember encouraging my boys to dream, but I wonder when I stopped saying it to them.  Probably as they entered middle school or just got too old to listen to mom.  I don’t honestly remember and it doesn’t really matter.  Today I am saying to all who visit the Daily Dose, LET YOUR DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT! You are never too old to dream and never too old to realize that dreams can come true. 

Thanks for stopping by for your Daily Dose!

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, a day when everyone shares their feelings with others through flowers, cards, candy and gifts.  It’s a wonderful day to be sure. However, today I want you to think about all the people you didn’t reach out to yesterday to tell them how much they mean to you.

Surprised?  Why?  Why do we have to wait on some “Hallmark Holiday” to tell someone we love them, or that they are important to us?  We miss so many opportunities!  So, today I’m suggesting that you forge3t about the flowers, the candy, the cards and simply tell those important to you that you love them and they matter.  It will hold far more meaning to them because the thoughts are being shared on just a regular old day! Words from the heart hold meaning everyday, but sometimes they mean just a bit more if they are unexpected.

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When my sons were younger and still living at home I would often hear the expression “Ya think?” when they were exchanging insults and compliments as brothers do.  They certainly didn’t invent the expression, but it became the standing joke among our family when something that was totally obvious was presented by someone as a unique or original thought.

The expression has come to my mind frequently over the past week or so as I have watched news coverage and stories the media is enamored with. Sometimes  I think the intelligence of the general public is assumed to be about zero with some of their comments.  It makes me want to take a cue from comedian Bill Engvall and yell at them “here’s your sign!”

Here are a couple of statements, situations that had me saying “Ya think?” :

Reporter:  “It appears that gas prices are going to continue to climb to record  highs.  It some areas, they could reach nearly $5.00 per gallon – something consumers probably won’t be too happy about.”  Ya think?

Weather Forecaster: “As temperatures warm and the snow flurries turn to rain, motorists will likely want to use their windshield wipers.”  Ya think?

Reporter: “As the world mourns the death of singer Whitney Houston, the cause of death is still unclear and it could take weeks to discover.  We do know one thing, however, whatever the cause it was clearly life threatening.”  Ya think?

Reporter: “The political debates continue to be heated with no clear candidate emerging.  One thing is certain, however, to be President, a candidate will have to win the election in November.” Ya think?

Too bad we don’t have a 2-3 second delay on speech, so we could engage a filter before we say really stupid things! 

Thanks for stopping by for your Daily Dose!