WHAT DOES SUCCESS REALLY MEAN IN 2009?
As we begin another new year, we find this one to be more unusual than some of the previous years. Facing the unknown this time seems a lot more ominous than before. We’ve had our share of financial failures as a nation in 2008 which dripped down to affect almost every citizen including not just the equity value in our homes, but most retirement accounts. Many who planned on retiring soon are having to change their plans trying to guess how long they will need their money to last. Some have even lost their jobs or fear losing them through lay-offs and business closures. Kids, now graduating, worry about getting a job while others worry about affording college and finding one to accept them. All this is only part of the unknown. And it can all create a lot of worry and uncertainty.
So, the question is, how do we prepare ourselves to skate out on the ice of 2009 risking falling on our behinds in these difficult times? How have others handled the great unknown of a new day? How will Barrack Obama face the unknown events of his presidency coming up in addition to the problems he’s already aware of?
Other leaders have handled the unexpected. For example, George Bush woke up one morning to 9/11. Abraham Lincoln, between Election Day and inauguration woke up to find 7 southern states seceding from the union. He dealt for 4 years, with the horrors of the Civil War in which 620,000 lost their lives. His legacy is saving the union one scary day at a time not knowing the result, and freeing the slaves against all odds. Franklin Roosevelt faced the Great Depression, being quoted as saying, “I don’t know which way to turn”. His tough mindedness and courage, along with Churchill and Stalin gave us the victory in WWII even though he was deathly ill much of the time.
Another president who had no idea what his presidency would bring, had to make the decision to use the Atomic Bomb within hours of taking office. That was Harry Truman (“The buck stops here.”) I’ve just finished a book, “The Women of Gettysburg” which tells of the heroic deeds of ordinary women living in Gettysburg on the days of that terrible battle. Bullets flying, they cooked for the troops, and nursed the injured and dying, They never saw it coming. They just happened to live there and when the moment came, did what they had to do.
We’re talking about tough minded people here who, when the crisis arrived were ready in mind and spirit. Ready to do the right thing. (When the student is ready, the teacher appears). Well, you know what? You and I are tough minded too! How many unexpected difficulties have you and I already dealt with in our lifetimes? How many times have we done the best we could and made decisions based on the information we had at the time and seeking the best advice we could find? How many times have we prayed for direction and gotten it? A dear friend of mine said she decided in one of her most difficult moments to write her own statement using the book of Ephesians as a guide. “By faith Abraham did…., by faith Moses….. She replaced it with “By faith Shirley did…. And made the best decisions she could at that time having faith it would work out.
Of course you and I will not be making big, decisions like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Bush or Obama, thank goodness. That’s a role wild horses couldn’t drag me to. But we can be tough minded and confident based on our life experiences to buck up for whatever we must face in 2009. We can start preparing by starting with some basics: take good care of ourselves, eat better, drink more water, and get enough rest, the usual stuff. And why not? We only get one body each and who better to take care of it than ourselves?
The truth is that not all of 2009 will be rough. Some unexpected delights will pop up out of nowhere all the more appreciated because of the rough spots in the road that we will overcome! For example, some dear soul reading this who’s been alone for years will find the mate of their dreams, unexpectedly, like my 79 year old client did last year. Good stuff happens when you least expect it. The sky is not falling! There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.
We will all have to deal with the unpredictable in 2009. The “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as Shakespeare called it. Or the “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” So, what’s new about that? Well, gee, we have to make plans anyway, don’t we? Of course. But what do we do when or if they crash and burn or we have to go in another direction?
We will use the same confidence, the same common sense, and the same faith that has gotten us through so far. That’s not to say that we haven’t each made some mistakes in our lives. Failing is normal. Real success is built on mistakes from which we learn. I love to joke that I should have been born with an eraser on my head to correct my mistakes. But, it turns out, that eraser is called experience whereby I have learned. I do not walk in this world a perfect human, just a wiser one and hopefully, a more forgiving, loving one because my errors have taught me understanding.
So, let’s all worry less this year. For courage does not mean never being afraid but instead, courage means resisting the desire to crawl under the bed and hide, and, instead, standing strong and ready for the unknown. Tough decisions will have to be made and they are never easy. That’s why they’re called tough. But we’ve made tough decisions before and had courage all our lives. We will now and in 2009. After all, we have some USA DNA here from the Lincolns, Roosevelts and even our own private heroes in our circle of friends and family who inspire us. Let’s look up and remember others have gotten through tough times too. If they can do it, we can too and even enjoy life as we go. If we do all this, in 2009, we will indeed have a successful year as we look back in 2010. That is what success is…knowing we did the best we could with the knowledge we had at the time. Many blessings to you. Make this your best year ever!
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller
Other quotes:
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. Belva Davis
It’s always too soon to quit. It’s never too late to start over.
Failure is the path of least resistance. Real success is built on failure.
Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.”
Abraham Lincoln lost 42 out of 43 elections.
A goal is a dream with a deadline attached to it.
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
Don’t expect life to be fair. Deal with it. Get over it.
Knowing how to transform failure into success is more important than knowing how to succeed. Ernest Hall
The test of courage is not what happens in a successful period, but what happens in difficult circumstances. Gordon Brown
Fate is something a little bit in our control. When you take a lucky shot it’s because you are in good shape, you’re prepared; you’ve been in the right place at the right time. You have done all you can do to put the forces into play. Alan Hilfer
If we are to make the most of our lives, we must make the most from the day we are in. David Ellis
When faced with a struggle, recognize that seeing it all the way through will present you with a new strength. You don’t yet know what that is. Steve Roesler
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Samuel Beckett
---------------------------------------------------MY WISH FOR YOU FOR 2009
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips.
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address.
In simple words…May 2009 be the best year of your life!
MARKET UPDATE
From the New York Times
“Five or 10 years from now, when the financial crisis has ended and housing prices are up smartly once more, we will look in the rearview mirror and realize that we missed a golden age for first-time home buyers. Then, everyone who sat on their down-payment savings accounts for a few years too long will kick themselves for not taking advantage of what may turn out to be the buying opportunity of a lifetime for those who can qualify for a mortgage.”
No matter what the market does, there are always opportunities. People still relocate, get married, have children, need a bigger house, retire, need a smaller house, get another job in another area, etc. People need to sell and buy and move on with their lives. People do not need to become victims of the market, but rather to take charge and get where they need to go. Pro-active buyers and sellers need to take advantage of the opportunities in this market which may be the best that anyone has seen in our lifetime.
Did you know?
· In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full
· Each person throws away approximately 4 pounds of garbage every day
· Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year
· We each use about 12.000 gallons of water every year.
· Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.
· We throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Place end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.
· 84% of a typical household’s waste-including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles-can be recycled.
What can we do? RECYCLE, REUSE AND REDUCE FOR 2009?
Visit www.energy.ca.gov for ideas.
WHAT DOES SUCCESS REALLY MEAN IN 2009?
As we begin another new year, we find this one to be more unusual than some of the previous years. Facing the unknown this time seems a lot more ominous than before. We’ve had our share of financial failures as a nation in 2008 which dripped down to affect almost every citizen including not just the equity value in our homes, but most retirement accounts. Many who planned on retiring soon are having to change their plans trying to guess how long they will need their money to last. Some have even lost their jobs or fear losing them through lay-offs and business closures. Kids, now graduating, worry about getting a job while others worry about affording college and finding one to accept them. All this is only part of the unknown. And it can all create a lot of worry and uncertainty.
So, the question is, how do we prepare ourselves to skate out on the ice of 2009 risking falling on our behinds in these difficult times? How have others handled the great unknown of a new day? How will Barrack Obama face the unknown events of his presidency coming up in addition to the problems he’s already aware of?
Other leaders have handled the unexpected. For example, George Bush woke up one morning to 9/11. Abraham Lincoln, between Election Day and inauguration woke up to find 7 southern states seceding from the union. He dealt for 4 years, with the horrors of the Civil War in which 620,000 lost their lives. His legacy is saving the union one scary day at a time not knowing the result, and freeing the slaves against all odds. Franklin Roosevelt faced the Great Depression, being quoted as saying, “I don’t know which way to turn”. His tough mindedness and courage, along with Churchill and Stalin gave us the victory in WWII even though he was deathly ill much of the time.
Another president who had no idea what his presidency would bring, had to make the decision to use the Atomic Bomb within hours of taking office. That was Harry Truman (“The buck stops here.”) I’ve just finished a book, “The Women of Gettysburg” which tells of the heroic deeds of ordinary women living in Gettysburg on the days of that terrible battle. Bullets flying, they cooked for the troops, and nursed the injured and dying, They never saw it coming. They just happened to live there and when the moment came, did what they had to do.
We’re talking about tough minded people here who, when the crisis arrived were ready in mind and spirit. Ready to do the right thing. (When the student is ready, the teacher appears). Well, you know what? You and I are tough minded too! How many unexpected difficulties have you and I already dealt with in our lifetimes? How many times have we done the best we could and made decisions based on the information we had at the time and seeking the best advice we could find? How many times have we prayed for direction and gotten it? A dear friend of mine said she decided in one of her most difficult moments to write her own statement using the book of Ephesians as a guide. “By faith Abraham did…., by faith Moses….. She replaced it with “By faith Shirley did…. And made the best decisions she could at that time having faith it would work out.
Of course you and I will not be making big, decisions like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Bush or Obama, thank goodness. That’s a role wild horses couldn’t drag me to. But we can be tough minded and confident based on our life experiences to buck up for whatever we must face in 2009. We can start preparing by starting with some basics: take good care of ourselves, eat better, drink more water, and get enough rest, the usual stuff. And why not? We only get one body each and who better to take care of it than ourselves?
The truth is that not all of 2009 will be rough. Some unexpected delights will pop up out of nowhere all the more appreciated because of the rough spots in the road that we will overcome! For example, some dear soul reading this who’s been alone for years will find the mate of their dreams, unexpectedly, like my 79 year old client did last year. Good stuff happens when you least expect it. The sky is not falling! There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.
We will all have to deal with the unpredictable in 2009. The “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as Shakespeare called it. Or the “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” So, what’s new about that? Well, gee, we have to make plans anyway, don’t we? Of course. But what do we do when or if they crash and burn or we have to go in another direction?
We will use the same confidence, the same common sense, and the same faith that has gotten us through so far. That’s not to say that we haven’t each made some mistakes in our lives. Failing is normal. Real success is built on mistakes from which we learn. I love to joke that I should have been born with an eraser on my head to correct my mistakes. But, it turns out, that eraser is called experience whereby I have learned. I do not walk in this world a perfect human, just a wiser one and hopefully, a more forgiving, loving one because my errors have taught me understanding.
So, let’s all worry less this year. For courage does not mean never being afraid but instead, courage means resisting the desire to crawl under the bed and hide, and, instead, standing strong and ready for the unknown. Tough decisions will have to be made and they are never easy. That’s why they’re called tough. But we’ve made tough decisions before and had courage all our lives. We will now and in 2009. After all, we have some USA DNA here from the Lincolns, Roosevelts and even our own private heroes in our circle of friends and family who inspire us. Let’s look up and remember others have gotten through tough times too. If they can do it, we can too and even enjoy life as we go. If we do all this, in 2009, we will indeed have a successful year as we look back in 2010. That is what success is…knowing we did the best we could with the knowledge we had at the time. Many blessings to you. Make this your best year ever!
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller
Other quotes:
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. Belva Davis
It’s always too soon to quit. It’s never too late to start over.
Failure is the path of least resistance. Real success is built on failure.
Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.”
Abraham Lincoln lost 42 out of 43 elections.
A goal is a dream with a deadline attached to it.
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
Don’t expect life to be fair. Deal with it. Get over it.
Knowing how to transform failure into success is more important than knowing how to succeed. Ernest Hall
The test of courage is not what happens in a successful period, but what happens in difficult circumstances. Gordon Brown
Fate is something a little bit in our control. When you take a lucky shot it’s because you are in good shape, you’re prepared; you’ve been in the right place at the right time. You have done all you can do to put the forces into play. Alan Hilfer
If we are to make the most of our lives, we must make the most from the day we are in. David Ellis
When faced with a struggle, recognize that seeing it all the way through will present you with a new strength. You don’t yet know what that is. Steve Roesler
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Samuel Beckett
---------------------------------------------------MY WISH FOR YOU FOR 2009
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips.
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address.
In simple words…May 2009 be the best year of your life!
MARKET UPDATE
From the New York Times
“Five or 10 years from now, when the financial crisis has ended and housing prices are up smartly once more, we will look in the rearview mirror and realize that we missed a golden age for first-time home buyers. Then, everyone who sat on their down-payment savings accounts for a few years too long will kick themselves for not taking advantage of what may turn out to be the buying opportunity of a lifetime for those who can qualify for a mortgage.”
No matter what the market does, there are always opportunities. People still relocate, get married, have children, need a bigger house, retire, need a smaller house, get another job in another area, etc. People need to sell and buy and move on with their lives. People do not need to become victims of the market, but rather to take charge and get where they need to go. Pro-active buyers and sellers need to take advantage of the opportunities in this market which may be the best that anyone has seen in our lifetime.
Did you know?
· In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full
· Each person throws away approximately 4 pounds of garbage every day
· Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year
· We each use about 12.000 gallons of water every year.
· Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.
· We throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Place end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.
· 84% of a typical household’s waste-including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles-can be recycled.
What can we do? RECYCLE, REUSE AND REDUCE FOR 2009?
Visit www.energy.ca.gov for ideas.
WHAT DOES SUCCESS REALLY MEAN IN 2009?
As we begin another new year, we find this one to be more unusual than some of the previous years. Facing the unknown this time seems a lot more ominous than before. We’ve had our share of financial failures as a nation in 2008 which dripped down to affect almost every citizen including not just the equity value in our homes, but most retirement accounts. Many who planned on retiring soon are having to change their plans trying to guess how long they will need their money to last. Some have even lost their jobs or fear losing them through lay-offs and business closures. Kids, now graduating, worry about getting a job while others worry about affording college and finding one to accept them. All this is only part of the unknown. And it can all create a lot of worry and uncertainty.
So, the question is, how do we prepare ourselves to skate out on the ice of 2009 risking falling on our behinds in these difficult times? How have others handled the great unknown of a new day? How will Barrack Obama face the unknown events of his presidency coming up in addition to the problems he’s already aware of?
Other leaders have handled the unexpected. For example, George Bush woke up one morning to 9/11. Abraham Lincoln, between Election Day and inauguration woke up to find 7 southern states seceding from the union. He dealt for 4 years, with the horrors of the Civil War in which 620,000 lost their lives. His legacy is saving the union one scary day at a time not knowing the result, and freeing the slaves against all odds. Franklin Roosevelt faced the Great Depression, being quoted as saying, “I don’t know which way to turn”. His tough mindedness and courage, along with Churchill and Stalin gave us the victory in WWII even though he was deathly ill much of the time.
Another president who had no idea what his presidency would bring, had to make the decision to use the Atomic Bomb within hours of taking office. That was Harry Truman (“The buck stops here.”) I’ve just finished a book, “The Women of Gettysburg” which tells of the heroic deeds of ordinary women living in Gettysburg on the days of that terrible battle. Bullets flying, they cooked for the troops, and nursed the injured and dying, They never saw it coming. They just happened to live there and when the moment came, did what they had to do.
We’re talking about tough minded people here who, when the crisis arrived were ready in mind and spirit. Ready to do the right thing. (When the student is ready, the teacher appears). Well, you know what? You and I are tough minded too! How many unexpected difficulties have you and I already dealt with in our lifetimes? How many times have we done the best we could and made decisions based on the information we had at the time and seeking the best advice we could find? How many times have we prayed for direction and gotten it? A dear friend of mine said she decided in one of her most difficult moments to write her own statement using the book of Ephesians as a guide. “By faith Abraham did…., by faith Moses….. She replaced it with “By faith Shirley did…. And made the best decisions she could at that time having faith it would work out.
Of course you and I will not be making big, decisions like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Bush or Obama, thank goodness. That’s a role wild horses couldn’t drag me to. But we can be tough minded and confident based on our life experiences to buck up for whatever we must face in 2009. We can start preparing by starting with some basics: take good care of ourselves, eat better, drink more water, and get enough rest, the usual stuff. And why not? We only get one body each and who better to take care of it than ourselves?
The truth is that not all of 2009 will be rough. Some unexpected delights will pop up out of nowhere all the more appreciated because of the rough spots in the road that we will overcome! For example, some dear soul reading this who’s been alone for years will find the mate of their dreams, unexpectedly, like my 79 year old client did last year. Good stuff happens when you least expect it. The sky is not falling! There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.
We will all have to deal with the unpredictable in 2009. The “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as Shakespeare called it. Or the “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” So, what’s new about that? Well, gee, we have to make plans anyway, don’t we? Of course. But what do we do when or if they crash and burn or we have to go in another direction?
We will use the same confidence, the same common sense, and the same faith that has gotten us through so far. That’s not to say that we haven’t each made some mistakes in our lives. Failing is normal. Real success is built on mistakes from which we learn. I love to joke that I should have been born with an eraser on my head to correct my mistakes. But, it turns out, that eraser is called experience whereby I have learned. I do not walk in this world a perfect human, just a wiser one and hopefully, a more forgiving, loving one because my errors have taught me understanding.
So, let’s all worry less this year. For courage does not mean never being afraid but instead, courage means resisting the desire to crawl under the bed and hide, and, instead, standing strong and ready for the unknown. Tough decisions will have to be made and they are never easy. That’s why they’re called tough. But we’ve made tough decisions before and had courage all our lives. We will now and in 2009. After all, we have some USA DNA here from the Lincolns, Roosevelts and even our own private heroes in our circle of friends and family who inspire us. Let’s look up and remember others have gotten through tough times too. If they can do it, we can too and even enjoy life as we go. If we do all this, in 2009, we will indeed have a successful year as we look back in 2010. That is what success is…knowing we did the best we could with the knowledge we had at the time. Many blessings to you. Make this your best year ever!
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller
Other quotes:
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. Belva Davis
It’s always too soon to quit. It’s never too late to start over.
Failure is the path of least resistance. Real success is built on failure.
Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.”
Abraham Lincoln lost 42 out of 43 elections.
A goal is a dream with a deadline attached to it.
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
Don’t expect life to be fair. Deal with it. Get over it.
Knowing how to transform failure into success is more important than knowing how to succeed. Ernest Hall
The test of courage is not what happens in a successful period, but what happens in difficult circumstances. Gordon Brown
Fate is something a little bit in our control. When you take a lucky shot it’s because you are in good shape, you’re prepared; you’ve been in the right place at the right time. You have done all you can do to put the forces into play. Alan Hilfer
If we are to make the most of our lives, we must make the most from the day we are in. David Ellis
When faced with a struggle, recognize that seeing it all the way through will present you with a new strength. You don’t yet know what that is. Steve Roesler
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Samuel Beckett
---------------------------------------------------MY WISH FOR YOU FOR 2009
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips.
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address.
In simple words…May 2009 be the best year of your life!
MARKET UPDATE
From the New York Times
“Five or 10 years from now, when the financial crisis has ended and housing prices are up smartly once more, we will look in the rearview mirror and realize that we missed a golden age for first-time home buyers. Then, everyone who sat on their down-payment savings accounts for a few years too long will kick themselves for not taking advantage of what may turn out to be the buying opportunity of a lifetime for those who can qualify for a mortgage.”
No matter what the market does, there are always opportunities. People still relocate, get married, have children, need a bigger house, retire, need a smaller house, get another job in another area, etc. People need to sell and buy and move on with their lives. People do not need to become victims of the market, but rather to take charge and get where they need to go. Pro-active buyers and sellers need to take advantage of the opportunities in this market which may be the best that anyone has seen in our lifetime.
Did you know?
· In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full
· Each person throws away approximately 4 pounds of garbage every day
· Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year
· We each use about 12.000 gallons of water every year.
· Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.
· We throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Place end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.
· 84% of a typical household’s waste-including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles-can be recycled.
What can we do? RECYCLE, REUSE AND REDUCE FOR 2009?
Visit www.energy.ca.gov for ideas.
As we begin another new year, we find this one to be more unusual than some of the previous years. Facing the unknown this time seems a lot more ominous than before. We’ve had our share of financial failures as a nation in 2008 which dripped down to affect almost every citizen including not just the equity value in our homes, but most retirement accounts. Many who planned on retiring soon are having to change their plans trying to guess how long they will need their money to last. Some have even lost their jobs or fear losing them through lay-offs and business closures. Kids, now graduating, worry about getting a job while others worry about affording college and finding one to accept them. All this is only part of the unknown. And it can all create a lot of worry and uncertainty.
So, the question is, how do we prepare ourselves to skate out on the ice of 2009 risking falling on our behinds in these difficult times? How have others handled the great unknown of a new day? How will Barrack Obama face the unknown events of his presidency coming up in addition to the problems he’s already aware of?
Other leaders have handled the unexpected. For example, George Bush woke up one morning to 9/11. Abraham Lincoln, between Election Day and inauguration woke up to find 7 southern states seceding from the union. He dealt for 4 years, with the horrors of the Civil War in which 620,000 lost their lives. His legacy is saving the union one scary day at a time not knowing the result, and freeing the slaves against all odds. Franklin Roosevelt faced the Great Depression, being quoted as saying, “I don’t know which way to turn”. His tough mindedness and courage, along with Churchill and Stalin gave us the victory in WWII even though he was deathly ill much of the time.
Another president who had no idea what his presidency would bring, had to make the decision to use the Atomic Bomb within hours of taking office. That was Harry Truman (“The buck stops here.”) I’ve just finished a book, “The Women of Gettysburg” which tells of the heroic deeds of ordinary women living in Gettysburg on the days of that terrible battle. Bullets flying, they cooked for the troops, and nursed the injured and dying, They never saw it coming. They just happened to live there and when the moment came, did what they had to do.
We’re talking about tough minded people here who, when the crisis arrived were ready in mind and spirit. Ready to do the right thing. (When the student is ready, the teacher appears). Well, you know what? You and I are tough minded too! How many unexpected difficulties have you and I already dealt with in our lifetimes? How many times have we done the best we could and made decisions based on the information we had at the time and seeking the best advice we could find? How many times have we prayed for direction and gotten it? A dear friend of mine said she decided in one of her most difficult moments to write her own statement using the book of Ephesians as a guide. “By faith Abraham did…., by faith Moses….. She replaced it with “By faith Shirley did…. And made the best decisions she could at that time having faith it would work out.
Of course you and I will not be making big, decisions like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Bush or Obama, thank goodness. That’s a role wild horses couldn’t drag me to. But we can be tough minded and confident based on our life experiences to buck up for whatever we must face in 2009. We can start preparing by starting with some basics: take good care of ourselves, eat better, drink more water, and get enough rest, the usual stuff. And why not? We only get one body each and who better to take care of it than ourselves?
The truth is that not all of 2009 will be rough. Some unexpected delights will pop up out of nowhere all the more appreciated because of the rough spots in the road that we will overcome! For example, some dear soul reading this who’s been alone for years will find the mate of their dreams, unexpectedly, like my 79 year old client did last year. Good stuff happens when you least expect it. The sky is not falling! There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.
We will all have to deal with the unpredictable in 2009. The “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as Shakespeare called it. Or the “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” So, what’s new about that? Well, gee, we have to make plans anyway, don’t we? Of course. But what do we do when or if they crash and burn or we have to go in another direction?
We will use the same confidence, the same common sense, and the same faith that has gotten us through so far. That’s not to say that we haven’t each made some mistakes in our lives. Failing is normal. Real success is built on mistakes from which we learn. I love to joke that I should have been born with an eraser on my head to correct my mistakes. But, it turns out, that eraser is called experience whereby I have learned. I do not walk in this world a perfect human, just a wiser one and hopefully, a more forgiving, loving one because my errors have taught me understanding.
So, let’s all worry less this year. For courage does not mean never being afraid but instead, courage means resisting the desire to crawl under the bed and hide, and, instead, standing strong and ready for the unknown. Tough decisions will have to be made and they are never easy. That’s why they’re called tough. But we’ve made tough decisions before and had courage all our lives. We will now and in 2009. After all, we have some USA DNA here from the Lincolns, Roosevelts and even our own private heroes in our circle of friends and family who inspire us. Let’s look up and remember others have gotten through tough times too. If they can do it, we can too and even enjoy life as we go. If we do all this, in 2009, we will indeed have a successful year as we look back in 2010. That is what success is…knowing we did the best we could with the knowledge we had at the time. Many blessings to you. Make this your best year ever!
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller
Other quotes:
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. Belva Davis
It’s always too soon to quit. It’s never too late to start over.
Failure is the path of least resistance. Real success is built on failure.
Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.”
Abraham Lincoln lost 42 out of 43 elections.
A goal is a dream with a deadline attached to it.
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
Don’t expect life to be fair. Deal with it. Get over it.
Knowing how to transform failure into success is more important than knowing how to succeed. Ernest Hall
The test of courage is not what happens in a successful period, but what happens in difficult circumstances. Gordon Brown
Fate is something a little bit in our control. When you take a lucky shot it’s because you are in good shape, you’re prepared; you’ve been in the right place at the right time. You have done all you can do to put the forces into play. Alan Hilfer
If we are to make the most of our lives, we must make the most from the day we are in. David Ellis
When faced with a struggle, recognize that seeing it all the way through will present you with a new strength. You don’t yet know what that is. Steve Roesler
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Samuel Beckett
---------------------------------------------------MY WISH FOR YOU FOR 2009
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips.
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address.
In simple words…May 2009 be the best year of your life!
MARKET UPDATE
From the New York Times
“Five or 10 years from now, when the financial crisis has ended and housing prices are up smartly once more, we will look in the rearview mirror and realize that we missed a golden age for first-time home buyers. Then, everyone who sat on their down-payment savings accounts for a few years too long will kick themselves for not taking advantage of what may turn out to be the buying opportunity of a lifetime for those who can qualify for a mortgage.”
No matter what the market does, there are always opportunities. People still relocate, get married, have children, need a bigger house, retire, need a smaller house, get another job in another area, etc. People need to sell and buy and move on with their lives. People do not need to become victims of the market, but rather to take charge and get where they need to go. Pro-active buyers and sellers need to take advantage of the opportunities in this market which may be the best that anyone has seen in our lifetime.
Did you know?
· In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full
· Each person throws away approximately 4 pounds of garbage every day
· Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year
· We each use about 12.000 gallons of water every year.
· Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.
· We throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Place end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.
· 84% of a typical household’s waste-including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles-can be recycled.
What can we do? RECYCLE, REUSE AND REDUCE FOR 2009?
Visit www.energy.ca.gov for ideas.
WHAT DOES SUCCESS REALLY MEAN IN 2009?
As we begin another new year, we find this one to be more unusual than some of the previous years. Facing the unknown this time seems a lot more ominous than before. We’ve had our share of financial failures as a nation in 2008 which dripped down to affect almost every citizen including not just the equity value in our homes, but most retirement accounts. Many who planned on retiring soon are having to change their plans trying to guess how long they will need their money to last. Some have even lost their jobs or fear losing them through lay-offs and business closures. Kids, now graduating, worry about getting a job while others worry about affording college and finding one to accept them. All this is only part of the unknown. And it can all create a lot of worry and uncertainty.
So, the question is, how do we prepare ourselves to skate out on the ice of 2009 risking falling on our behinds in these difficult times? How have others handled the great unknown of a new day? How will Barrack Obama face the unknown events of his presidency coming up in addition to the problems he’s already aware of?
Other leaders have handled the unexpected. For example, George Bush woke up one morning to 9/11. Abraham Lincoln, between Election Day and inauguration woke up to find 7 southern states seceding from the union. He dealt for 4 years, with the horrors of the Civil War in which 620,000 lost their lives. His legacy is saving the union one scary day at a time not knowing the result, and freeing the slaves against all odds. Franklin Roosevelt faced the Great Depression, being quoted as saying, “I don’t know which way to turn”. His tough mindedness and courage, along with Churchill and Stalin gave us the victory in WWII even though he was deathly ill much of the time.
Another president who had no idea what his presidency would bring, had to make the decision to use the Atomic Bomb within hours of taking office. That was Harry Truman (“The buck stops here.”) I’ve just finished a book, “The Women of Gettysburg” which tells of the heroic deeds of ordinary women living in Gettysburg on the days of that terrible battle. Bullets flying, they cooked for the troops, and nursed the injured and dying, They never saw it coming. They just happened to live there and when the moment came, did what they had to do.
We’re talking about tough minded people here who, when the crisis arrived were ready in mind and spirit. Ready to do the right thing. (When the student is ready, the teacher appears). Well, you know what? You and I are tough minded too! How many unexpected difficulties have you and I already dealt with in our lifetimes? How many times have we done the best we could and made decisions based on the information we had at the time and seeking the best advice we could find? How many times have we prayed for direction and gotten it? A dear friend of mine said she decided in one of her most difficult moments to write her own statement using the book of Ephesians as a guide. “By faith Abraham did…., by faith Moses….. She replaced it with “By faith Shirley did…. And made the best decisions she could at that time having faith it would work out.
Of course you and I will not be making big, decisions like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Bush or Obama, thank goodness. That’s a role wild horses couldn’t drag me to. But we can be tough minded and confident based on our life experiences to buck up for whatever we must face in 2009. We can start preparing by starting with some basics: take good care of ourselves, eat better, drink more water, and get enough rest, the usual stuff. And why not? We only get one body each and who better to take care of it than ourselves?
The truth is that not all of 2009 will be rough. Some unexpected delights will pop up out of nowhere all the more appreciated because of the rough spots in the road that we will overcome! For example, some dear soul reading this who’s been alone for years will find the mate of their dreams, unexpectedly, like my 79 year old client did last year. Good stuff happens when you least expect it. The sky is not falling! There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.
We will all have to deal with the unpredictable in 2009. The “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as Shakespeare called it. Or the “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” So, what’s new about that? Well, gee, we have to make plans anyway, don’t we? Of course. But what do we do when or if they crash and burn or we have to go in another direction?
We will use the same confidence, the same common sense, and the same faith that has gotten us through so far. That’s not to say that we haven’t each made some mistakes in our lives. Failing is normal. Real success is built on mistakes from which we learn. I love to joke that I should have been born with an eraser on my head to correct my mistakes. But, it turns out, that eraser is called experience whereby I have learned. I do not walk in this world a perfect human, just a wiser one and hopefully, a more forgiving, loving one because my errors have taught me understanding.
So, let’s all worry less this year. For courage does not mean never being afraid but instead, courage means resisting the desire to crawl under the bed and hide, and, instead, standing strong and ready for the unknown. Tough decisions will have to be made and they are never easy. That’s why they’re called tough. But we’ve made tough decisions before and had courage all our lives. We will now and in 2009. After all, we have some USA DNA here from the Lincolns, Roosevelts and even our own private heroes in our circle of friends and family who inspire us. Let’s look up and remember others have gotten through tough times too. If they can do it, we can too and even enjoy life as we go. If we do all this, in 2009, we will indeed have a successful year as we look back in 2010. That is what success is…knowing we did the best we could with the knowledge we had at the time. Many blessings to you. Make this your best year ever!
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller
Other quotes:
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. Belva Davis
It’s always too soon to quit. It’s never too late to start over.
Failure is the path of least resistance. Real success is built on failure.
Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.”
Abraham Lincoln lost 42 out of 43 elections.
A goal is a dream with a deadline attached to it.
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
Don’t expect life to be fair. Deal with it. Get over it.
Knowing how to transform failure into success is more important than knowing how to succeed. Ernest Hall
The test of courage is not what happens in a successful period, but what happens in difficult circumstances. Gordon Brown
Fate is something a little bit in our control. When you take a lucky shot it’s because you are in good shape, you’re prepared; you’ve been in the right place at the right time. You have done all you can do to put the forces into play. Alan Hilfer
If we are to make the most of our lives, we must make the most from the day we are in. David Ellis
When faced with a struggle, recognize that seeing it all the way through will present you with a new strength. You don’t yet know what that is. Steve Roesler
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Samuel Beckett
---------------------------------------------------MY WISH FOR YOU FOR 2009
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips.
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address.
In simple words…May 2009 be the best year of your life!
MARKET UPDATE
From the New York Times
“Five or 10 years from now, when the financial crisis has ended and housing prices are up smartly once more, we will look in the rearview mirror and realize that we missed a golden age for first-time home buyers. Then, everyone who sat on their down-payment savings accounts for a few years too long will kick themselves for not taking advantage of what may turn out to be the buying opportunity of a lifetime for those who can qualify for a mortgage.”
No matter what the market does, there are always opportunities. People still relocate, get married, have children, need a bigger house, retire, need a smaller house, get another job in another area, etc. People need to sell and buy and move on with their lives. People do not need to become victims of the market, but rather to take charge and get where they need to go. Pro-active buyers and sellers need to take advantage of the opportunities in this market which may be the best that anyone has seen in our lifetime.
Did you know?
· In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full
· Each person throws away approximately 4 pounds of garbage every day
· Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year
· We each use about 12.000 gallons of water every year.
· Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.
· We throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Place end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.
· 84% of a typical household’s waste-including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles-can be recycled.
What can we do? RECYCLE, REUSE AND REDUCE FOR 2009?
Visit www.energy.ca.gov for ideas.
WHAT DOES SUCCESS REALLY MEAN IN 2009?
As we begin another new year, we find this one to be more unusual than some of the previous years. Facing the unknown this time seems a lot more ominous than before. We’ve had our share of financial failures as a nation in 2008 which dripped down to affect almost every citizen including not just the equity value in our homes, but most retirement accounts. Many who planned on retiring soon are having to change their plans trying to guess how long they will need their money to last. Some have even lost their jobs or fear losing them through lay-offs and business closures. Kids, now graduating, worry about getting a job while others worry about affording college and finding one to accept them. All this is only part of the unknown. And it can all create a lot of worry and uncertainty.
So, the question is, how do we prepare ourselves to skate out on the ice of 2009 risking falling on our behinds in these difficult times? How have others handled the great unknown of a new day? How will Barrack Obama face the unknown events of his presidency coming up in addition to the problems he’s already aware of?
Other leaders have handled the unexpected. For example, George Bush woke up one morning to 9/11. Abraham Lincoln, between Election Day and inauguration woke up to find 7 southern states seceding from the union. He dealt for 4 years, with the horrors of the Civil War in which 620,000 lost their lives. His legacy is saving the union one scary day at a time not knowing the result, and freeing the slaves against all odds. Franklin Roosevelt faced the Great Depression, being quoted as saying, “I don’t know which way to turn”. His tough mindedness and courage, along with Churchill and Stalin gave us the victory in WWII even though he was deathly ill much of the time.
Another president who had no idea what his presidency would bring, had to make the decision to use the Atomic Bomb within hours of taking office. That was Harry Truman (“The buck stops here.”) I’ve just finished a book, “The Women of Gettysburg” which tells of the heroic deeds of ordinary women living in Gettysburg on the days of that terrible battle. Bullets flying, they cooked for the troops, and nursed the injured and dying, They never saw it coming. They just happened to live there and when the moment came, did what they had to do.
We’re talking about tough minded people here who, when the crisis arrived were ready in mind and spirit. Ready to do the right thing. (When the student is ready, the teacher appears). Well, you know what? You and I are tough minded too! How many unexpected difficulties have you and I already dealt with in our lifetimes? How many times have we done the best we could and made decisions based on the information we had at the time and seeking the best advice we could find? How many times have we prayed for direction and gotten it? A dear friend of mine said she decided in one of her most difficult moments to write her own statement using the book of Ephesians as a guide. “By faith Abraham did…., by faith Moses….. She replaced it with “By faith Shirley did…. And made the best decisions she could at that time having faith it would work out.
Of course you and I will not be making big, decisions like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Bush or Obama, thank goodness. That’s a role wild horses couldn’t drag me to. But we can be tough minded and confident based on our life experiences to buck up for whatever we must face in 2009. We can start preparing by starting with some basics: take good care of ourselves, eat better, drink more water, and get enough rest, the usual stuff. And why not? We only get one body each and who better to take care of it than ourselves?
The truth is that not all of 2009 will be rough. Some unexpected delights will pop up out of nowhere all the more appreciated because of the rough spots in the road that we will overcome! For example, some dear soul reading this who’s been alone for years will find the mate of their dreams, unexpectedly, like my 79 year old client did last year. Good stuff happens when you least expect it. The sky is not falling! There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.
We will all have to deal with the unpredictable in 2009. The “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as Shakespeare called it. Or the “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” So, what’s new about that? Well, gee, we have to make plans anyway, don’t we? Of course. But what do we do when or if they crash and burn or we have to go in another direction?
We will use the same confidence, the same common sense, and the same faith that has gotten us through so far. That’s not to say that we haven’t each made some mistakes in our lives. Failing is normal. Real success is built on mistakes from which we learn. I love to joke that I should have been born with an eraser on my head to correct my mistakes. But, it turns out, that eraser is called experience whereby I have learned. I do not walk in this world a perfect human, just a wiser one and hopefully, a more forgiving, loving one because my errors have taught me understanding.
So, let’s all worry less this year. For courage does not mean never being afraid but instead, courage means resisting the desire to crawl under the bed and hide, and, instead, standing strong and ready for the unknown. Tough decisions will have to be made and they are never easy. That’s why they’re called tough. But we’ve made tough decisions before and had courage all our lives. We will now and in 2009. After all, we have some USA DNA here from the Lincolns, Roosevelts and even our own private heroes in our circle of friends and family who inspire us. Let’s look up and remember others have gotten through tough times too. If they can do it, we can too and even enjoy life as we go. If we do all this, in 2009, we will indeed have a successful year as we look back in 2010. That is what success is…knowing we did the best we could with the knowledge we had at the time. Many blessings to you. Make this your best year ever!
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller
Other quotes:
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. Belva Davis
It’s always too soon to quit. It’s never too late to start over.
Failure is the path of least resistance. Real success is built on failure.
Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.”
Abraham Lincoln lost 42 out of 43 elections.
A goal is a dream with a deadline attached to it.
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
Don’t expect life to be fair. Deal with it. Get over it.
Knowing how to transform failure into success is more important than knowing how to succeed. Ernest Hall
The test of courage is not what happens in a successful period, but what happens in difficult circumstances. Gordon Brown
Fate is something a little bit in our control. When you take a lucky shot it’s because you are in good shape, you’re prepared; you’ve been in the right place at the right time. You have done all you can do to put the forces into play. Alan Hilfer
If we are to make the most of our lives, we must make the most from the day we are in. David Ellis
When faced with a struggle, recognize that seeing it all the way through will present you with a new strength. You don’t yet know what that is. Steve Roesler
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Samuel Beckett
---------------------------------------------------MY WISH FOR YOU FOR 2009
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips.
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address.
In simple words…May 2009 be the best year of your life!
MARKET UPDATE
From the New York Times
“Five or 10 years from now, when the financial crisis has ended and housing prices are up smartly once more, we will look in the rearview mirror and realize that we missed a golden age for first-time home buyers. Then, everyone who sat on their down-payment savings accounts for a few years too long will kick themselves for not taking advantage of what may turn out to be the buying opportunity of a lifetime for those who can qualify for a mortgage.”
No matter what the market does, there are always opportunities. People still relocate, get married, have children, need a bigger house, retire, need a smaller house, get another job in another area, etc. People need to sell and buy and move on with their lives. People do not need to become victims of the market, but rather to take charge and get where they need to go. Pro-active buyers and sellers need to take advantage of the opportunities in this market which may be the best that anyone has seen in our lifetime.
Did you know?
· In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full
· Each person throws away approximately 4 pounds of garbage every day
· Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year
· We each use about 12.000 gallons of water every year.
· Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.
· We throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Place end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.
· 84% of a typical household’s waste-including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles-can be recycled.
What can we do? RECYCLE, REUSE AND REDUCE FOR 2009?
Visit www.energy.ca.gov for ideas.
posted by Ann Baker, Realtor at
3:01 PM
