The best sermons are lived not preached

Thanks to John C.

1. Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I'm working on for my Psychology class. When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said, "Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile."

2. Today, I asked my mentor - a very successful businessman in his 70's- what his top 3 tips are for success. He smiled and said, "Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing."

3. Today, after a 72-hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug. When I tensed up, she realized I didn't recognize her. She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the most sincere smile and said, "On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of the World Trade Center."

4. Today, after I watched my dog get run over by a car, I sat on the side of the road holding him and crying. And just before he died, he licked the tears off my face.

5. Today at 7AM, I woke up feeling ill, but decided I needed the money, so I went into work. At 3PM I got laid off. On my drive home I got a flat tire. When I went into the trunk for the spare, it was flat too. A man in a BMW pulled over, gave me a ride, we chatted, and then he offered me a job. I start tomorrow.

6. Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother's hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply said, "I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more often."

7. Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed. About 5 seconds after he passed, I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy.

8. Today, in the cutest voice, my 8-year-old daughter asked me to start recycling. I chuckled and asked, "Why?" She replied, "So you can help me save the planet." I chuckled again and asked, "And why do you want to save the planet?" Because that's where I keep all my stuff," she said.

9. Today, when I witnessed a 27-year-old breast cancer patient laughing hysterically at her 2-year-old daughter's antics, I suddenly realized that I need to stop complaining about my life and start celebrating it again.

10. Today, a boy in a wheelchair saw me desperately struggling on crutches with my broken leg and offered to carry my backpack and books for me. He helped me all the way across campus to my class and as he was leaving he said, "I hope you feel better soon."

11. Today, I was feeling down because the results of a biopsy came back malignant. When I got home, I opened an e-mail that said, "Thinking of you today. If you need me, I'm a phone call away." It was from a high school friend I hadn't seen in 10 years.

12. Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe. He said he hadn't eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating. The first thing the man said was, "We can share it."

The best sermons are lived, not preached

Effective Communications – Life Lessons

By Terry Orr

While we all believe that best practice of effective communications are part of your good skills sets – all to often they fall short of the desired mark.  Thus some life lessons to share to help improve and sharpen those skills.

Keeping it Simple – Ensure the receiver easily understands your message

Ask questions – Clarify what has been transmitted to ensure the right message was received.

Trust but Verify – Verify information to ensure it is correct – before beginning actions.

Set the example – Good leaders establish the right way to do things by their actions.

Follow-up with written recap – Immediately after meeting, sit down and capture the essence of what was communicated, identify any actions or questions to be answered and forward that back to the other parties involved for their comments to ensure all are working from the same sheet of music.

For more information on Effective Communications, please follow these links to earlier articles:

http://kisbyto.blogspot.com/2011/06/june-is-effective-communication-month.html 

http://kisbyto.blogspot.com/2012/06/effective-communications-month-june.html 

Give it a try and let us know your results.

(Photos from Google) 

January is Get Organized Month

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By Terry Orr

The National Association of Professional Organizer (NAPO) “The Organizing Authority” is encouraging us to get our collective acts together!  That is a worthwhile endeavor for sure and most of us could use some professional help in that regard.

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Two quick searches on Google and Amazon yielded – over 58 million and ~ 29 thousand returns respectively - interesting numbers.  Sort of makes one think – is it possible that we are this unorganized as a species?  How does that reflect upon our up bring and our ability to set good examples for our children? 

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I have found that improving upon my current ways of being organized has helped me significantly over the years – as change, like life, is a necessity. I continue my efforts of eliminating as much paper as possible – keeping most records in digital form.  Instead of having folders/files for things – I maintain a yearly receipt folder – easy to manage and only one folder to look for. 98% of my payments are done online – I continue to keep the paper statement from the bank. Around the house – I am frequently looking for better ways to store things, date checking, and purging.  In my home office where I spend most of my time – clutter at times becomes an issue – then I stop everything for an hour or so – to get rid of it. 

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Keeping it Simple – and within your own personal comfort level – really makes good sense to me.  If you are having problems finding that happy zone – seek help in finding it.

In my research this week, there are several good sites online to provide many ways to tackle your organization problems and have listed them below.  As mentioned about, there are many books available as well to help.

If you have found unique and or good ideas for organization in your life – please share them with us.  Thank you!!

References and Links:

http://www.napo.net/who/involvement/go_month.aspx

http://www.getorganizednow.com/cl-month.html

http://main.smbcompanies.com/tackle-business-organization-during-get-organized-month/

http://simplemom.net/6-tips-for-getting-organized-this-year/

http://www.womansday.com/home/organizing/your-a-to-z-guide-to-getting-organized-101423

http://www.getorganizedwizard.com/start-here/?gclid=CNqI2e6m6bQCFUbf4AodgDEAdw

http://zenhabits.net/27-great-tips-to-keep-your-life-organized/

http://www.parentsconnect.com/parents/your-home/get-organized/get-organized-boot-camp-julie-morgenstern.html

http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/02/how-to-get-organized.html

http://www.containerstore.com/tip/roomLiving/top12tips

http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/814863/10-get-organized-tips-for-busy-moms-1

http://www.emptyhousefullmind.com/time-saving-tips-for-getting-organized-in-2013/

http://ezinearticles.com/?Golden-Rules-For-Getting-Organized-&id=367978

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New Year’s Eve

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By Diane Forrest

Don't look so sad,

It's not so bad you know.

It's just another night,

That's all it is, it's not the first,

It's not the worst you know,

We've come through all the rest,

We'll get through this.

We've made mistakes,

But we've made good friends too.

Remember all the nights we spent with them?

And all our plans,

Who says they can't come true?

Tonight's another chance to start again.

It's just another New Year's Eve,

Another night like all the rest.

It's just another New Year's Eve,

Let's make it the best.

It's just another New Year's Eve,

It's just another Auld Lang Syne,

But when we're through this New Year

You'll see, will be

Just fine.

We're not alone, we've got the world you know.

And it won't let us down, just wait and see.

And we'll grow old, but think how wise we'll grow.

There's more you know, it's only New Year's Eve.

It's just another New Year's Eve,

Another night like all the rest.

It's just another New Year's Eve,

Let's make it the best.

It's just another New Year's Eve,

It's just another Auld Lang Syne,

But when we're through this New Year, you'll see, will be

Just fine.

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My idea of a perfect New Year’s Eve night is to kiss the one I love at midnight.  This dream has only become a reality once.  It was a perfect night.  My husband and I went to a local hotel; they had a party with decorations, a buffet and a champagne toast at midnight.  At the stroke of midnight, while dancing under the mirrored ball, I got my New Year's Kiss.  It was the perfect way to start the New Year.  Sadly, the other years found my husband sleeping long before the clock struck 12.

Another lifetime tradition has been to welcome the New Year with Dick Clark, and the ball in Times Square.  Mr. Clark passed away this year, and I wonder if 2013 will be able to start without him.

This year will be harder than most.  I will be spending the passing of the old year alone, with my faithful dog Snoopy.  The above song was written by my absolute favorite musician, Barry Manilow.  I have loved him since I was in high school, and I have all his albums.  This song is wonderful because it tells you that even though this may not have been the best year, we have a fresh start now and we can make the New Year whatever we want it to be.

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I hope you have the best New Year ever, and a perfect night kissing your loved one at the stroke of midnight under a mirrored ball.  To my special friends, Joe, Terry, Dave, Bob and Pattie, and all of you, Happy New Years!!!