Do you ever think about life as being a “school?” My mother used to say that she went to the “School of Hard Knocks.” That always brought out a laugh, but the older I get the more truth I see in that statement.

Regardless of your formal education or which ivy league school you attended or aspired to attend, those learning experiences taught us skills. The “degree” brought us to a point that we were hopefully going to be more employable with the education we received. But where have we learned most of our successful communication skills and job related skills? Life experiences.

We can all remember each job we have had and what we learned. We learned about managing a work place, we saw which managers were more successful than others, and started to develop our skills to be more successful in the workplace as well as managing things at home.

Never underestimate the power of “The School of Life.” That is why you should not think you have less to offer than someone who went to college. Realize that you can learn from every opportunity that comes your way.

Practice different ways to communicate and see what gets the best results. Believe that you can achieve your goals regardless of your current situation. Don’t blame a lack of conventional education to be the reason you are where you are today. It’s the conventional motivation that may be missing. Get with it! Believe that you can reach some new goal! Because you can!  "Now, let's get going!"  xo Sally

“Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” Nido Qubein

How many of us look at each day as a new starting point? If we don’t look at it that way, we should try to start. Too many times we start the day in a rush, trying to multi-task and accomplish many things, frequently leaving us with the feeling that we are not accomplishing enough. When that happens we can become dissatisfied, which is related to the speed of activity that we push during the day.

If you are not happy with the way things are going with your current method of approaching a task, try a new approach. Decide that you want a quality outcome to the effort you put out today. Even better, decide that you are going to work towards some personal goal that you keep telling yourself is impossible. Nothing is impossible. Every day is a new starting point. If it is at work or at home, we need to agree that each day allows a new start or approach to whatever we are focusing on.

We can change the direction we are going. Our approach can alter our outcome. If we want more we have to consider how to approach a task or goal to start to see a change for the better. What are you trying to change or develop? Leave your thoughts here and share what you are doing to start fresh and not get caught up in doing things the same old way and getting the same old result. Together we can accomplish amazing things! “Now, let’s get going!” xo Sally

It is easy to feel overwhelmed and think that our opinion or our action will not make a difference in the big scheme of things. There are many times you are able to make a difference each day. Taking the time to talk to one person when they are having a problem makes a difference. Spending time to help someone carry a heavy load can make a difference. Visiting someone in the hospital can make a person’s day.

Do those “small” things change the world? Not right away. I think we have to be realistic about how the world will be able to change. Change only has a chance if we take the chance to step outside of our daily routine and be the one reason a person is able to smile. We all benefit from being treated with respect. When one person is treated nicely it is more likely that they will treat another person with respect as well. Negative energy breeds negativity and positive energy promotes positive behavior.

It isn’t hard. It doesn’t cost money. The investment is a little time for a great reward. Chances are that the smile that you help create will come back to cause you to smile as well. Be the one to make a difference today.

“Now, let’s get going!” xo Sally

The other day I heard someone say that we are no longer the USA-United States of America, we are now the USA-United States of Amnesia.

Some people in the media seem to have a difficult time remembering what the military has done for this Country. The media has difficulty stating gratefulness to our military for all they do, what their families sacrifice and recognizing that if it wasn’t for our brave service men and women, the freedoms we hold dear in this Country would not exist.

For those of us who have had fathers that fought in World War II and in other battles, we know that finding a life after service is not easy. Adjusting to civilian life is difficult for many, and tolerating the number of people who verbally abuse people who have given so much to our Country causes me to pause and wonder what the “entitlement generation” in this Country understands, related to how this Country evolved into a place where they have the opportunity to follow whatever goal they desire.

We have so much to be thankful for this Veterans Day Weekend. They say that you can tell the value of a Country by the length of the line of people trying to get in to the Country versus the length of the line of people trying to get out. Taking our huge problem with illegal immigration into consideration, I think the value of this Country speaks for itself.

This weekend please say prayers for our men and women fighting for the ideals that we hold dear. Join an organization that is supporting our troops and show your gratitude for the work they are doing. We are so fortunate. Thank a service member, buy them dinner, show them kindness and support. We are in this together. The world needs to know that we stand up for and are behind our Country.

How are you spending your Veterans Day? Leave us your comments here. Have a great weekend! xo Sally

We can all remember being put in situations that seem to test us. When we have those experiences we want to train ourselves to react in such a way that we come out bigger, better and stronger.

Don’t feel like you have to “give in” to a situation that is a challenge. Instead, try a simple little trick. Don’t react immediately when someone says something or does something that throws you a curve. Count to 10 (at least), and longer if you can. Once you have regained your senses you need to think of something kind to say.

What? Something kind? Right after someone has said or done something that was inappropriate? Try to say something like; are you having a bad day? or what can we do to make this situation better?

That isn’t giving in to the person’s inappropriate or rude behavior, it is forcing them to turn their anger or frustration around and try to get them engaged in solving a challenge rather than perpetuate the attitude. When you don’t fuel someone’s spark it can’t turn into a fire.

So when you are having your share of attitude adjustments today, remember that you have all the power to turn that tough situation into a learning opportunity, and you can pat yourself on the back in the process, because you are promoting a positive learning curve, even if it is just for you! J  “Now, let’s get going!” xo Sally

We all have those times in our lives when we put up with negative energy that is either coming at us or coming from us. If that is happening to you or someone you care about, rest assured that eventually, most people come to the reality that they are tolerating an unnecessary amount of negative treatment in their lives and will choose to change their situation.

Whether the problem is work, friends, or with family members, many people come to the point that they simply want more. You have to decide what will help you be the person that you want to be. It may be more peace or simply the opportunity to expand your options in an attempt to go after a dream that has been on hold for longer than you want to admit.

The people around you may not know that you are struggling with the need for more. You can have more. You have to believe that you are worth more and that you can achieve what you want to achieve. People around you may think that you have “lost your mind,” just because you want to try something new. My suggestion is that you share your feelings and goals with those who are important to you, if that is possible. Never hurt those that love you unnecessarily, trying to change your circumstances. Children deserve to be protected if they are involved.

You have to realize that your surroundings affect the choices that you make each and every day. You have the power to modify your surroundings and to work on your goals, whether it is to change your schedule or job or whatever it takes. If someone accuses you of “changing” they may have never known who you really are or what you want to accomplish. Communicate more effectively with those who care about you. We only have one life. It doesn’t make sense to ignore what your inner voice is telling you to do. “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally

What we get when we invest time and energy in something is hopefully a good outcome. Granted you have to spend your energy wisely, choosing activities that will broaden your skills or learning new ideas from people that are able to convey a message that takes you to a new level of awareness. Some people get that experience where they work and others gain new insight in how to manage things differently at home. If you are lucky your learning takes place at work and at home.

The work we do each day gives us our reality. You can wish things were different, but your circumstances won’t change until you put forth some work towards the changes you desire. The word “work” sounds negative to some people. Work generates positive energy and gives us a purpose. If your current work situation does not generate a sense of purpose for you, consider some alternative type of work.

We spend too many hours each day working to feel negative about how we are spending that part of our life. Choose to work at what you love doing. There is always a way to make a living doing what you love to do. Don’t tell yourself otherwise.

Life is all about learning how to manage the change that comes your way. Embrace change because it forces you to broaden your skills and learn how to cope in new ways. Change = Growth. “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally

Are you leaving “Butt Prints?” All the more reason to get up; dust off your excuses for not working towards your dreams, and putting your life into action. There is no good reason to put off living a life that motivates you to do what you want to do.

Everyone has a talent and a special gift that you were put on this earth to share with others. You may not know what it is at the moment, but that might be because you have not allowed yourself to think outside of your own neat little box. To experience more you have to do more. You have to give more. I have a philosophy that if you help other people become successful; you will become more successful than you ever dreamed possible.

It is normal to fear change, but it is empowering to move past that fear and experience more. You don’t have to do more than you are able to do at the present time…take it in small steps. Just keep taking steps forward and get off your butt! You have all the power! You are better than your circumstances! I know you can do it! You are awesome! “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally

When we are frustrated with our daily routine we may think that the goals we do dream about or imagine are just too far away from our reach. We don’t see any change and are not sure how our goals can be reached when we don’t seem to have enough time to work on them.

Every day you can do small things towards your goal, because those small things will eventually turn into major change. Small changes are stepping stones towards your larger goal.

You have to set your goals with this in mind: The overall goal has to be the finish line. Right now that goal may be something like; I want to be a happier person. To reach that goal there are changes that you need to make that move you in that direction. Define what would make you happy. What are you currently not achieving that you want to do? What will it take? More self- control? More education? Or is it that you need to believe that you have what it takes to make your goal happen right now…if you just focus on it?

Try something new today. Make a list of three things you can start doing today that will begin to move you towards reaching that goal, and figure out how you can add those to your daily routine. Incorporate at least one of those things into your day today and see what happens.

We all have to modify the time we have to make new things happen. These new “little things” that you start to do will develop into “something big,” when you nurture the little things. You have what it takes. Believe it. Share your big goal below and we’ll cheer you on! Start believing in yourself now. Your goals matter. You matter. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally

Believing in yourself can be one of the most challenging things we face every day. It takes energy. It takes commitment. You may not feel like you are doing anything worthwhile, because nothing seems to change. One day rolls into the next, and you give in to your feelings of apathy, frustration and general sense that you are not “getting anywhere.”

Lose that philosophy. The only thing missing is figuring out what you would like to achieve. You need to take some time to think about it. If you want to wake up with a purpose and feel positive about what you can contribute to your family, job and yourself… you have to start somewhere.

What is missing in your life? What would you like to accomplish? Don’t say that it’s too late or that you are too old to do something new. Who knows how many years you have left to make a difference? Why waste one more day thinking that you and your dreams don’t matter?

Your dreams do matter. Dreams offer us hope that we will be able to have something new to look forward to. The bottom line is that we have to believe in ourselves to make positive change happen in our lives. If you don’t believe in yourself – start today. Look at what you can do. Recognize that you have 24 hours every day to believe that you can meet a new goal that matters to you! Can we help you meet your goals?

Let us know what you want to improve. Leave your comments below and let us give you some support. You can do this! I know you can! xo Sally