With Regard To Life

Happy Father's Day

I read an article in the wall Street Journal this week that might be good for all of us. It was written by Karen Blumenthal and was entitled, A Blue Chip on His Shoulder: Investing Lessons From Dad. The writer wanted the reader to remember the significant impact parents and grandparents - especially dads and grandfathers - can have on our attitudes about money and savings. If you are a father or grandfather, you need to pass on the lessons you learned. One of the lessons Ms. Blumenthal learned from her grandfather was to keep preaching the basics. "The best financial decisions my dad and granddad made were the least complex and required little understanding of Wall Street," she wrote. "They saved religiously. They lived within their means, even in the early years, when they did not have very much. They borrowed as little as they could get away with and paid it back as fast as they could. Those basics will still serve anyone well today." Today's Winning Thought: I would encourage you to heed this Wall Street Journal reporter's advice. And if you are a dad or a granddad, share some wisdom with your children and grandchildren. Some day they will pass it on to their kids and grandkids.

Literacy Pays

I heard a report today at a literacy conference I am attending that is fueling the fire within me. I knew illiteracy was costing an untold amount of money. I just did not know how much. See what these numbers do to you. The estimated economic impact over a six-year period in one area of South Carolina was $48,509,285. Officials arrived at that figure by considering these factors: Drop outs, crime rates and social service costs. They also looked at graduation rates, literacy rates, post-secondary education, gainful employment and civic engagement, all of which contributed to economic growth. Three of the biggest keys were an estimated $1.9 million savings from return of children to families from foster care, more than $21 million in savings from juvenile offenders/at-risk students avoiding incarceration and $14.2 million in additional earnings for holders of GEDs/diplomas. That is just one area of one state. Today's Winning Thought: One speaker might have said it best when she said, "You'll always be on a treadmill unless you address the root cause."

Poverty, Obesity, Etc.

I was traveling last weekend and noticed the headlines in two different Sunday newspapers. Both were at the top of the front page above the fold - the prime spot, the lead story. The first was an article about helping people get out of poverty. The second was an article about childhood obesity. That article covered two and one-half pages. I am writing this from a literacy conference I am attending. That (illiteracy) is another war that society needs to win. It is a war because high illiteracy rates costs all of us in many ways. Then, there are the issues of drug abuse and other addictions, and poor money management skills, all of which have ruined too many lives. You do not need me or a newspaper article to tell you about the multitude of problems that affect us. What is the best we (society) can hope for? It might be wishful thinking to think that we can make all of these things go away. But we can try. I have spent some time this week reflecting on what I am doing, and how I can do it better. Today's Winning Thought: There are many great and wonderful things in life. And there are many things that need our attention. What are you doing? How can you do it better?

Moms Rock

I was driving home from work last night and at one house I saw a mom carrying a cooler to her car. Right behind her was a young boy, presumably her son. He was wearing his baseball uniform. They were headed out to the youngster's game. It was his parents' turn to provide a post-game beverage. I was there once. I was the young boy, and I was the parent. Seeing this mom reminded me of the amount of work my mom invested, and the amount of work my wife gets accomplished. Our family is getting ready to go on vacation. You will never guess who is doing most of the preparation around the house so we can leave. Yes, you are correct. It is my wife, who also happens to be a mom, and who also happens to work well over 40 hours per week. More than once a week, and just about every week, she brings work home. That might be one reason we need a break. The lady (my wife) is unreal. Just sayin'. Today's Winning Thought: I know Mother's Day has passed - on the calendar. It should probably be more than a one day thing. It should be an everyday thing.

See People Differently

A woman and her husband were dealing with the fact that their son was homeless. He ran away from home when he was only 17. His life had spiraled downward and he landed in prison. The parents visited him in prison once and talked on the telephone a few times. Other than that they had no contact with their son for 20 years. The mother discussed her son's plight because she said she wants to change the way people see the homeless. She said she wanted people to stop seeing problems and start seeings mothers' sons. This mother is not alone. There are countless others just like her who have hearts that are breaking. And there are many more problems than homelessness. And behind the pain and behind each problem, there is a person. Today's Winning Thought: For the next few days, look differently at the people you meet.

Success Begins With Failure

Erik Weihenmayer is a blind climber. He has climbed the seven summits - the highest mountains on each continent, including Mt. Everest. Google his name. You will not believe what you are reading. Weihenmayer has known success - and failure. He said, "Success is not just the crowning moment, the spiking of the ball in the end zone or the raising of the flag on the summit. It is the whole process of reaching for a goal and sometimes, it begins with failure." Sometimes success begins with failure. There are all kinds of opinions on how to be successful. Theodore Roosevelt said the most important thing is to know how to get along with people. Others say it is doing the things that failures don't like to do. Whatever it means to you, remember that the diffrence between failure and success is small, but it makes all the difference. Today's Winning Thought: Sometimes, success begins with failure. But don't stay in failure too long. You must exit what John Maxwell calls the "failure freeway."

Eliminate Hurry

I heard a great quote on the radio this morning. And I was reminded of a powerful lesson. It was advice from an older man to a younger man, who wanted to know how the single most important thing he could do to reduce the stress in his life. The older man's advice was this: "Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life." He was talking to me, too. The message was slow down. Just relax. Today's Winning Thought: Life moves fast - really fast. You have to manage it or will control you. It might even consume you. Life is too short for that.

Sports

I love sports. I love what it teaches. I love how it can bring people together. Sports columnist Mark Whicker once wrote, "Sports is life with the volume up. The friendships are fused more tightly than in most other places. The laughter is louder, the jokes funnier, the pain sharper, the nights later, the lows lower. Athletics teach us that life, although unpredictable, is something we can deal with. A baseball team nods when it wins and shrugs when it loses and wakes up to a new and different game each day." While sports is big business, it is still just a game. Last week, a teenage boy died after being hit in the chest by a baseball. He was 13. Scott Bostwick has been an assistant coach at Northwest Missouri State University for many years. He was named head coach in December. He replaced a coach who was a legend. This weekend, Bostwick suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 49 years old. The Kansas State Special Olympics were held this weekend. That event is just as big to those athletes as a game is to a professional athlete. Sunday morning, an athlete collapsed on the the track, the same track where my daughter enjoyed much success during the two-day meet. The young man died a short time later. All of the sudden the four second place finishes my daughter recorded did not mean much. Her medallions and her best track meet ever, did not mean as much because sports is just a game. Today's Winning Thought: Life is real. Sports is just a game.

Don't Take Life For Granted

I bought a new pair of walking shoes today. There was a tag that caught my eye. It read, "The human foot is punished daily by the tremendous forces of impact it encounters during all athletic activities. This makes cushioning essential to the development of a good athletic shoe." When is the last time you thought about your feet in this way? Probably been awhile. We just go about our lives and our feet quietly go about their work. If the truth were known, we take our feet for granted. And our eyes. And our hearing. And probably many other things. Don't take things for granted, certainly not your health or your family or your relationships. The older I get, the more I think about these things. I lost my father when I was a teenager and he was a young man. I thought that only happened to other families. I am very aware that it can happen to anyone at any time. I am starting to lose some of my hearing. I wasn't expecting that. That happens when you get old. I have learned to live and appreciate every moment. I don't take them for granted because my life could end before I post my next blog. Today's Winning Thought: I am watching a replay of a professional golf tournament as I write this. I just heard an announcer talking about one of the tour's young players. He said the player is leaving for Haiti following the tournament on goodwill trip. They were talking about the kind of person he is. He said, "He understands golf, business and life. He gets it." It doesn't sound like this young man is taking anything for granted. I hope you don't.

Ten Things We Need For Success

I found a half dozen folders the other day that I had forgotten I had. They were filled with notes and ideas and quotes I have saved. The files are so old some of the notes no longer make any sense to me. I was looking for one report in particular. I found it. I also uncovered some more ideas for this blog. I will start going through the notes and share some of them with you. I pulled this one out of the stack today. There is not a name at the end of it, so I don't remember it was something I wrote or if I pulled it out of an article or speech. I think I wrote it but I will not attest to it in the event I found it somewhere. It will still speak to you. It is 10 things people need to be successful. Attitude (a good one). Raise your standards. Be different. Minimize the negatives. Give something back. Appearance. Determination. Excellence. Have some goals and a plan to reach them. Challenge yourself to learn something everyday. Today's Winning Thought: Those are not all of the traits that will make you successful, but it is a darn good start.