In A Different Way

In A Different Way
Live each single moment,
As if it were your last.
Look forward to the future,
Forget about the past.

Taking time to value,
Exactly what you’ve got.
Appreciate the now,
Use what you’ve been taught.

To further your enjoyment,
Of each new passing day.
Try learning something new,
In a different way.

Expanding your horizons,
By trying something new.
Makes life seem much larger,
You’ll know just what to do.

When you have a problem,
You can not seem to mend,
Somehow try it different,
Mind and thoughts must bend.

To learn to live life better,
In a different way.
Be open to suggestions,
Every single day.

- Author Unknown

If At First You Don’t Succeed.

Failure doesn’t mean - “You are a failure,”

It means - You have not succeeded.

Failure doesn’t mean - “You accomplished nothing,”

It means - You have learned something.

Failure doesn’t mean - “You have been a fool,”

It means - You had a lot of faith.

Failure doesn’t mean - “You don’t have it,”

It means - You were willing to try.

Failure doesn’t mean - “You are inferior,”

It means - You are not perfect.

Failure doesn’t mean - “You’ve wasted your life,”

It means - You have a reason to start afresh.

Failure doesn’t mean - “You should give up,”

It means - “You must try harder.

Failure doesn’t mean - “You’ll never make it,”

It means - It will take a little longer.

Failure doesn’t mean - “God has abandoned you,”

It means - God has a better way for you.

What Is Life?

Life is a challenge, Meet it
Life is a gift, Accept it
Life is an adventure, Dare it
Life is a sorrow, Face it
Life is a duty, Perform it
Life is a mystery, Unfold it
Life is a game, Play it
Life is a song, Sing it
Life is an opportunity, Take it
Life is a journey, Complete it
Life is a promise, Fulfill it
Life is a love, Love it
Life is a beauty, Praise it
Life is a spirit, Realize it
Life is a struggle, Fight it
Life is a puzzle, Solve it
Life is a goal, Achieve it

- Unknown

Top 10 Tips for Managing Down

Management looks really easy, doesn't it? You're awarded a title, and, if you are lucky, an office, and away you go. You bark some orders here and there and then you sit back until it's time to give another directive. Of course, everyone does exactly what you ask of them, because you are the person in charge. If this were really the case, everyone would want to be a manager!

Here are ten tips to help you become the type of manager that everyone wants to work with.

1. Be Credible

It is difficult, if not impossible to get others to follow you if you aren't perceived as being credible. Credibility is not something you earn overnight, although it is certainly something you can destroy in one day. Be mindful of how your words and actions have a direct impact on how others perceive you on a daily basis.

2. Lead by Example 

Behave, as you would want your employees to behave, but also understand that your role is different from that of your employees.

3. Surround Yourself With The Right People

Hire for fit, train for skill and if the opportunity presents itself, hire people who are better than you. Prepare for the arrival of new hires so they immediately feel connected to the organization.

4. Build On Strengths

Weaknesses may be more visible, but strengths are where you will receive a greater return. Find one or two strengths in each of your people and help them become the type of employees you know they can be.

5. Cut Your Losses Early

Mismatches happen, no matter how good you are at interviewing. Take action quickly to avoid having the rest of the team distracted by a poor hire.

6. Cultivate The Success Of Others

To succeed as a manager, you will need to shift your focus from "me" to "we." Going forward, your success will no longer be measured by your individual contribution. Instead, you will be evaluated on your ability to create and maintain a highly engaged team that is willing to give it their all.

7. Manage Performance

People want and need feedback in order to improve their performance. Don't be the manager everyone complains about. Give your people continuous feedback and provide them with timely performance reviews.

8. Be Respectful

One of the quickest ways to lose credibility and trust is by being disrespectful. Regardless of the situation at hand, treat your people the way you would like to be treated.

9. Master The Art of Influencing

As the boss, many times you will be asking people to do things on your behalf. Be specific in your request and let them know why it's in their best interest to comply, and you will be well on your way to getting what you need.

10. Get Respect

As human beings, we have a natural tendency to want to be loved. But what happens when your desire to be loved interferes with your ability to lead? Effective leaders recognize it is more important to be respected by their people than adored. They make the tough decisions that are needed to secure the future of those around them, including their direct reports.

- By Roberta Matuson

Success lies in Aspiration

The Path of Most Persistence

There will always be those who will tell you it can't be done, but throughout history, progress has always come from those who said it could be done.

The people who accomplish the most do so not because they never run into problems, but because they believe there is a solution for every one.

The great men and women of history are remembered not because they never failed, but because they didn't let their failures stop them. They kept on until they succeeded.

When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he tried over 2,000 experiments before he got it to work. A young reporter asked him how it felt to fail so many times. He said, 

“I never failed once. I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2,000-step process.”

Often GENIUS is just another way of spelling perseverance. 

- Author Unknown

Seven Keys to High-Energy Living

Energy is a key luck factor. For you to be at the top of your form, to be action oriented, fast moving, and extremely productive, you have to have  high levels of physical and mental energy. 

For you to be able to take advantage of all the possibilities around you, and to have the continuous enthusiasm that keeps you and others motivated and moving ahead, you have to organize your life so that you feel terrific about yourself most of the time.

1. Eat the Right Foods :

The first key to high energy is a proper diet. To perform at your best, you must eat the right foods, in the right balance, and in the right combination. Your diet has an inordinate impact on the amount of energy you have, how well you sleep, your levels of health and fitness, and your performance throughout the day and into the evening.

2. Watch your Weight :

The second key to high energy is proper weight. Proper weight is essential for health, happiness, and long life. Being slightly under your ideal weight is best. As they say, you can never be too rich or too thin. If you are not happy with your current level of physical health, you need to set specific goals for yourself for the weeks and months ahead.

3. Exercise is Essential :

The third key to high energy is proper exercise. The best activity for high energy and physical fitness is aerobic exercise. This type of exercise requires that you get your heart rate up into what is called the training zone three times per week. This training zone is about 120 to 160 beats per minute, depending on your age. You then keep it there for at least 20 minutes or more each session.

4. Get Lots of Rest and Recreation :

The fourth key to high energy is proper rest. You need an average of seven to eight hours of sleep each night to be fully rested. You need to take off at least one full day each week during which you don't work at all. You should take regular mini-holidays of two or three days each, every couple of months. You should take one and two week vacations each year when you relax completely and get your mind totally off your work.

5. Develop a Positive Mental Attitude :

The sixth key to high energy is the elimination of negative emotions. This can be the most important thing you do to assure a long and happy life. Your ability to keep your mind on what you want and off of what you don't want will determine your levels of health and happiness more than any other decision you make.

6. Start a Personal Mental Fitness Program :

The seventh key to high energy is for you to go on a 21-daypositive mental attitude diet, one day at a time. Resolve that, for the next 21 day, you are going to keep your mind on what you want and keep it off the things you don't want. You are going to think and talk positively and optimistically about your goals, other people, and everything that is going on in your life.

7. Become a Personal Powerhouse :

The more you practice the health habits we have talked about, the more energy and vitality you will have. The more you keep your conversation focused on your goals and on the things you want, the greater the amount of strength and power you will feel. You will be more alert and aware. You will feel more positive and action oriented in every situation.

- By Brian Tracy

Friends Forever & Always

Friendship is a feeling
That never will grow old
Warm and loving it will stay
When other things grow cold.

It's a special kind of love
That cannot be denied
Because I know for sure my friend
You're always by my side.

Friends come and friends go
In this game that we play
A true friend no matter what
In my heart will always stay.

So glad I found you in my life
A bond we weave together
Our friendship will keep growing
And stay with us forever.

- Ginny Bryant