Take a break...

"To overextend yourself is to invite defeat."

G. William Domhoff

I determined long ago that the things that tire me most are those things that I've needed to do but just couldn't seem to find the time for because of my busy schedule!  You see, "doing" those things is not what tires me.  It's the idea of "NOT doing" them that really wears me down! 

When something seems important enough to be on the"to do" list, leaving it undone can cause anxiety and stress. Especially, if it's something that seems to be lingering on the list for a long time. It's a  really good feeling to know that something that's been left undone has finally been done!

A few years ago, I began to look at the overabundance of activity in my life and I was surprised to see that there were some things I spent valuable time on that were things that didn't improve quality of life for anyone, but still took up an incredible amount of time. It was during that time I decided to learn how to say, "No."

I made myself believe that I did not have to say "Yes" to every invitation to serve on a committee or work on a project that came along.  It was liberating to spend a few more evenings at home and I found I had more time to invest in things that were more important.

There are still times when I catch myself raising my own stress level by overextending myself and spending too much time on things I'm not convinced are vital. Therefore, my goal for the rest of this year is to take a good look at the "things" in my life, weigh their importance compared to the people in my life, and make adjustments where necessary!

You should do the same!

Blessings!

Sharon

Investing in the Future....

This blog is a reprint of a post I wrote on  February 27, 2012.  I changed the title for this reprinting because of a major legislative issue making the headlines in Missouri news. HB253 will benefit only the very wealthy in Missouri and will be harmful to public schools as well as every other program in Missouri  that receives state funding. 

Each of us must be diligent to devote the time required to research this issue rather than let our minds "latch on" to the first well-done commercial or catchy headline we see. We are bombarded with so much information every time we turn on the computer or walk by a television that happens to be on hitting us with 15 second sound bytes of information, that it's difficult to focus on the actual issues at hand.

With so much information out there, it's difficult to sort fact from fiction, but it's vital that conscientious citizens take responsibility and base their decisions on factual information. When you've finished reading this, whether you are a fellow Missourian, or not, I encourage you to visit http://www.missourifuture.net/ and take a look at the information provided there as well as the list of groups and associations who are committed to making good things happen for the kids of Missouri! 

We are at a crossroads in Missouri.  We must  put divisions aside and make the effort to do what's best for everyone concerned, especially when it involves our children....our future.

Here's the blog....

Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen,

but give us the determination to make the right things happen 

-- Peter Marshall

Over the years, I've spent quite a bit of time as an advocate for public education.  I do this because I believe, as many of our founding fathers did, that an uneducated public is a quick way to put an end to a free society. I do this because I have grandchildren who will attend public schools.  I do this because I want to remind our legislators that when they appropriate money for public education, it's not "paying for" education for our students, it's "investing in the education of" our students.

And, let's just talk about the "return on investment" when it comes to our kids! 

The students enrolled in our high schools right now will be the teachers, doctors, truck drivers, law enforcement officers, soldiers, parents, farmers, engineers, business owners and a myriad of other professionals who  will be the first in line to take the torch of leadership from our generation.  As we "age out" of the work force and "into" retirement, home health care, nursing homes, hospitals and assisted living communities, it is the students we're investing in right now who will "run the show"!

I want them to do well!

I have been very busy, personally and professionally, but when it comes to doing what's right for the 900,000 children in the state of Missouri, I feel a strong sense of urgency when it comes to legislative issues affecting education!  I think they are worth the investment!

At the Missouri School Boards Association Governmental Relations Center, in Jefferson City, there is a quote on the wall that reads: "Education is the foundation of democracy."  This quote, long attributed to Thomas Jefferson sums up my strong feelings regarding public education. 

Thomas Jefferson believed in a society where talent and virtue should be educated regardless of wealth, birth or any other condition.  He believed that democracy could not long exist without education. He believed the education of our children should come at the common expense of our people. He also believed that without wise elected officials at every level, our education system could not thrive. 

Thomas Jefferson saw public education, quite literally, as the means of insuring political liberty for every generation!

My challenge to you is to go online right now and start gathering information about legislation you're interested in. Whether it's education, [such as the issue I mentioned earlier] or another area that affects your life,  see to it that your voice is heard in your state capitol and in the nation's capitol. Develop a determination within you to give your best, do your best, and to encourage others to do the same.

Blessings!

Sharon

Some good sites to visit if you're interested in the education of our future leaders.

http://www.missourifuture.net/

http://www.msbanet.org/

http://www.mo.gov/

http://dese.mo.gov/

http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/

http://www.usa.gov/

It's a New Year.....

Your success and happiness lies in you. 

Resolve to keep happy, 

and your joy and you 

shall form an invincible 

host against difficulties. 

-- Helen Keller

It's that time of year when everyone is trying to decide if they're going to stick to their New Year's Resolutions. Gyms are still filled with people who have resolved to get fit, Nicorette gum is probably the best selling gum in the country, and office organizing supplies are flying off the shelves as we start sorting through last year's files and making a new plan for saving all those important records in 2013!

I usually try to set one or two goals for the new year, and they almost always involve being healthier, but it's very easy to forget those kinds of resolutions by the time the first boxes of Valentine's chocolates show up in stores!  (By the way, does that happen earlier every year?)

Nevertheless, shortly before the new year began I was visiting with my brother who was finishing up a project because it was one of his resolutions for 2012 and he wanted to get it checked off the list before the year ended.  Further questioning revealed that he actually makes a list of 10 resolutions to keep during each new year.  Most of them, he reported, are not "that big of a deal."

He lists achievable goals that even though they seem inconsequential, can make his, or someone else's life a little easier, or better.  For example, one of his resolutions from 2012 was to stop leaving newspapers laying around.  Some others have included keeping the inside of his truck cleaner, having his garden soil tested, saying "hello" more often, and giving up snack cupcakes. (I think Hostess helped him out with that one!)

For 2013, he has looked back over his lists from the last ten years and figured he had achieved roughly 60% of the goals he'd set, so he took the first 10 resolutions from past lists that were left unaccomplished and has set out to accomplish those things in 2013.  

Another friend of mine picks one word and focuses on that word for the entire year.  For 2012 her "focus word" was Courage.  Throughout that year, as she faced changes in her job, home improvement projects and life, in general,  her focus on courage gave her additional strength to press on!  

For 2013, her "focus word" is Less.  An interesting choice.

Less?  

Yes.

Less time wasted,  less clutter,  less money spent on things that don't matter, 10 pounds less weight, etc. 

What a great idea! 

My word for 2013 is Happiness.  I hope to take the words of Helen Keller to heart and find a little joy in every day!

My challenge to you is to look at the goals you've set for 2013. Whether it's a list of small achievable things, one really big thing,  or simply a  focus on a particular virtue or word, I wish you the best in accomplishing what you set out to achieve!

Blessings!

Sharon

  

Just do SOMETHING!

Once you do nothing, it's hard to quit.

 -- unknown

Have you ever looked around your home or office and thought to yourself, "I really need to clear the top of my desk," or "I really have to get that closet cleaned out," then, in frustration, said to yourself, "There's no way I can get to that today!"


Even some of  my most organized friends have confessed they have delayed completing daunting tasks when the job seemed too overwhelming!


Sometimes we put those monumental tasks off because we've mistakenly bought into the idea that every single task begun must be finished with no interruption in the process -- that failing to complete every single thing on the "to do" list is tantamount to failure!


The thing to remember is that no matter the size of the task, you have to break it down into "pieces" to accomplish completion!


Doing "nothing" that moves you closer to finishing the job accomplishes just that -- NOTHING!


It's easy to put things off again and again when the assignment is one that you know will consume a lot of time.


My challenge on this day is to do SOMETHING that will move you toward the completion of that really enormous task that has been set before you!  (You might find it interesting to keep track of how many steps, or how much time it involves to actually finish the task!)


Blessings,


Sharon

I need a plan!!!

I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacation 

with better care than they do their lives.

Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change. 

Jim Rohn

Every leadership book, magazine and webinar we read tells us we must set goals.  We've all learned about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound.


So many times we "set" our goals then tuck them away into the flap inside the cover of our planner and pull them out only when the little pocket gets so full of notes and brochures that the cover won't snap shut!


It's very easy to say, "I've set my goals, written them down and now I'm ready to move on!"


The question  you must ask is, "What am I willing to do -- what kind of changes am I willing to make to realize the accomplishment of my goals?" 


Mr. Rohn is absolutely right!  We plan so carefully for vacations --  we make reservations, get confirmations, make multiple lists, purchase vacation clothes, research motels and attractions and try to plan for every possible scenario. I know of people who set a countdown timeline for when things need to be accomplished to make a vacation possible!

Yet, when it comes to our careers, and even the well-being of our family, we forget to really get a plan together!  

Spend some time  thinking about your goals -- personal and professional, then make a plan.   Once the plan is made, take the necessary steps to "work" your plan!

Your family, your relationship with your friends,  and your career deserve the special kind of planning it takes to make any changes needed!  From simple changes like getting up an hour earlier to more complicated ones like getting additional training, or meeting with a life coach to work on relationships, it's a worthwhile investment to  spend time planning for your whole life - not just the escapes!


Blessings!


Sharon

It's time to clear your desktop....

"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.  

The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." 

Lin Yutang

I spent an entire morning last week clearing off the top of my desk, including my vertical file caddy filled with files with labels like Action File, Board of Directors' Agenda, Current Projects and others with similar "get-it-done-style" names!


It seems, that in our world of multi-tasking and constant interruptions, it's easy to end up with a stack of files needing attention, a list of phone calls to return, and a "to-do" list with priorities that we actually keep moving to a new list because we are unable to finish them throughout the course of a normal day!


While it seems to be a very good idea to track a "to-do" list, many people spend so much time organizing and tracking their lists, they end up with no time to accomplish the task at hand!


I have to wonder, if something is an "A" priority and it doesn't get checked off the list for days on end, was it ever really deserving of the "A" status?  


A lengthy "to-do" list can be very overwhelming, and wearing on the mind, so take a look at your list and be honest with yourself.  Divide the list into sections, or organize by categories,  then eliminate the unnecessary tasks.


A very good friend of mine once told me her secret of going to bed each night with every task of the day completed.  She had discovered, after being diagnosed with cancer that her priorities looked very different when she held them up to the light of what would be truly important in her world. As a result, she would sit down each night and write down everything she had accomplished that day.  When the list was finished, she would then place a check mark by each finished task.  In her words, "You always remember to do the really important things, and I've learned that going to sleep at night knowing everything on my list is checked off, helps me relax, sleep better and be more rested for what the new day will bring."


So clean off your desk. Delegate when needed. Eliminate if necessary!  


Blessings,


Sharon

I'm too busy!

"How soon 'not now' becomes 'never'." -- Martin Luther It amazes me that over 500 years ago, the Augustinian monk, Martin Luther,  figured out that when we say to someone,  "Not now," what we really mean is, "I may never do this!" In the whirlwind lifestyle most of us lead, it's hard to imagine  what kind of "busy" the inhabitants of the 15th century were dealing with!  It's clear there were struggles, disease, and terrible hardships, but I can't help but think they may have been better equipped to focus on the task at hand.  No TV, iPods, phones or text messages!  And, they certainly weren't bombarded with thousands of advertising messages every day! Nevertheless, Martin Luther saw fit to record his comments about putting things off and never getting things done. (Of course, there's the possibility that when we procrastinate, we're just being stubborn, or even lazy, about getting that unwanted task completed!  In that case, just remember that it does not get easier or more pleasant due to the fact you've delayed it!) If procrastination is a struggle for you, find someone who will help you be accountable and won't mind reminding you of goals you've set, tasks that need to be completed, and priorities that must be established. Have a great week!