In her seventies, Mother Teresa wrote this poem as her philosophy of life...
Life is an opportunity, benefit from it
Life is beauty, admire it
Life is bliss, taste it
Life is a dream, realize it
Life is a challenge, meet it
Life is costly, care for it
Life is wealth, keep it
Life is love, enjoy it
Life is a promise, fulfill it
Life is sorrow, overcome it
Life is a song, sing it
Life is a struggle, accept it
Life is an adventure, dare it
Life is luck, make it
Life is too precious, do not destroy it
Life is Life, fight for it
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and it always reminds me that I should be thankful not only for this one day out of the year, but I should appreciate each day that I am alive and well and give thanks daily...I need to make it a point to appreciate and enjoy the little things.
Here is an exerpt from "Paws of Wisdom":
If you are thankful for the little things, just imagine how great you will feel for the bigger things. Things don't always have to be expensive or elaborate to be worthwhile. There are countless wonders and miracles that await us. The reason we do not notice them is because we are too preoccupied with other things. All we need to do is start each day with a commitment to be aware of the wonderful things and people around us.
Work on cultivating your ability to see the extraordinary in everyday living.
Marcus T. Cicero once said: "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all the others". So, I hope that we all can develop an 'attitude of gratitude' this Holiday Season and appreciate our families, friends and all the blessings GOD has given us.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Here is an exerpt from "Paws of Wisdom":
If you are thankful for the little things, just imagine how great you will feel for the bigger things. Things don't always have to be expensive or elaborate to be worthwhile. There are countless wonders and miracles that await us. The reason we do not notice them is because we are too preoccupied with other things. All we need to do is start each day with a commitment to be aware of the wonderful things and people around us.
Work on cultivating your ability to see the extraordinary in everyday living.
Marcus T. Cicero once said: "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all the others". So, I hope that we all can develop an 'attitude of gratitude' this Holiday Season and appreciate our families, friends and all the blessings GOD has given us.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Some Inspirational Quotes for the Day
I came across some of these inspirational quotes that I thought I would share with you:
To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.....
Benjamin Franklin
Laughter is the closest distance between two people.....
Victor Borge
Your talent is God's Gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.....
Leo Buscaglia
Man succeeds because he believes he can, or he fails because he thinks he will...
Unknown
The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you.....
Tom Bradley
To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.....
Benjamin Franklin
Laughter is the closest distance between two people.....
Victor Borge
Your talent is God's Gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.....
Leo Buscaglia
Man succeeds because he believes he can, or he fails because he thinks he will...
Unknown
The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you.....
Tom Bradley
Monday, October 20, 2008
It Is NOT Easy.......
It Is NOT Easy....
To Apologize,
To Begin Over,
To Be Unselfish,
To Take Advice,
To Admit Error,
To Face a Sneer,
To Be Charitable,
To Keep Trying,
To Be Considerate,
To Avoid Mistakes,
To Endure Success,
To Profit By Mistakes,
To Forgive an Forget,
To Think and then Act,
To Keep Out of a Rut,
To Make the Best of Little,
To Subdue an Unruly Temper,
To Shoulder a Deserved Blame,
To Recognize The Silver Lining,
BUT IT ALWAYS PAYS.
To Apologize,
To Begin Over,
To Be Unselfish,
To Take Advice,
To Admit Error,
To Face a Sneer,
To Be Charitable,
To Keep Trying,
To Be Considerate,
To Avoid Mistakes,
To Endure Success,
To Profit By Mistakes,
To Forgive an Forget,
To Think and then Act,
To Keep Out of a Rut,
To Make the Best of Little,
To Subdue an Unruly Temper,
To Shoulder a Deserved Blame,
To Recognize The Silver Lining,
BUT IT ALWAYS PAYS.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
National Pet Wellness Month (NPWM)
Did you know that October is Pet Wellness Month? According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, AVMA, by age two, most dogs and cats have already reached adulthood. By the time they reach age four, they are considered middle-aged. At the age of seven, many dogs have already started their senior years. Because dogs and cats age five to seven times faster than people, an annual visit to the vet is equivalent to people seeing their doctor or dentist every five to seven years. Most of us want the best health for our pets. Therefore, it is recommended that we take them for regular wellness exams every six months.
Sponsored by the AVMA and Fort Dodge Animal Health (a leading manufacturer and distributor of animal health care products and medical research company) the NPWM started in October of 2004 and is a year-round campaign where pet owners can receive valuable wellness information, tailored to their pets, from their personal veterinarians.For more information you can visit their site www.NPWM.com......
One other thing that is a very important part of responsible pet ownership is spaying and neutering your dog or cat. I just read that one female dog and her offsprings can produce 67,000 puppies in 6 years. One female cat and her offsprings can produce 420,000 kittens in 7 years...Now that's a lot of puppies and kittens. They figure that in the United States, seven puppies and kittens are born for every one human. As a result there are just not enough homes for the animals, and four to five million dogs and cats are euthanized every year. Currently, over 56% of dogs and about 75% of cats entering shelters are put to sleep. We can all help save lives by spaying and neutering our pets and they will also live a healthier and a longer life. For more information visit SPAY/USA.
Sponsored by the AVMA and Fort Dodge Animal Health (a leading manufacturer and distributor of animal health care products and medical research company) the NPWM started in October of 2004 and is a year-round campaign where pet owners can receive valuable wellness information, tailored to their pets, from their personal veterinarians.For more information you can visit their site www.NPWM.com......
One other thing that is a very important part of responsible pet ownership is spaying and neutering your dog or cat. I just read that one female dog and her offsprings can produce 67,000 puppies in 6 years. One female cat and her offsprings can produce 420,000 kittens in 7 years...Now that's a lot of puppies and kittens. They figure that in the United States, seven puppies and kittens are born for every one human. As a result there are just not enough homes for the animals, and four to five million dogs and cats are euthanized every year. Currently, over 56% of dogs and about 75% of cats entering shelters are put to sleep. We can all help save lives by spaying and neutering our pets and they will also live a healthier and a longer life. For more information visit SPAY/USA.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Sharing Ideas and Tips on How to increase Sales at Fairs and Festivals
In the past several months, my husband and I have attended various Book Fairs, Festivals and Fundraisers for Churches/Schools/Temples/Pet Adoptions and Rescue Groups promoting my book "Paws of Wisdom-Valuable Lessons We Can Learn From Our Pets.... ". One thing that I could not help but notice at some of these events is that not everyone's day was going as well as ours. We were experiencing a constant stream of people stopping at our table and buying my book, while some of our fellow authors or vendors were sitting idle and waiting. Several or our customers also came back to chat and brought their friends to buy from us. We were having a great time.
Now, I have to admit that has not always been the case in the past. We, like others had experienced the same thing that our fellow vendors were experiencing--and we had to stop and evaluate what we were doing and how we needed to change things around to be more successful. Spending money for these events and not selling anything is not fun, it is actually pretty depressing.So, we decided to get better at it and we have observed other vendors, we have made changes to our presentation and we have learned and evolved (and we still have a long way to go). But since we have seen a significant improvement in our sales, I felt that I had to share with my fellow authors or other vendors some of our successful strategies.
First,get rid of your Director's Chair. Do not avoid perspective customers. Don't hide behind your table. Be friendly, smile. Get out there and interact with the public and strike up a conversation. Ask yourself : Why are you there? You have spent too much time, money and energy in creating your book/art/product. You spent money to exhibit at the show and you are spending your time . You want to sell your product. Why would you want to hide?
Second,when you stop your prospective customers explain to them what makes your book/product unique and how would it benefit them. Tell them how you came about producing it. Some people ask me what made me write the book, others may not ask, but I tell them anyway. Most people are interested, and when they buy your book/product they now have additional information about it and they can tell their friends and family.
Third,give a reason for someone to stop at your table. Have an appealing display and something that will create curiosity. Once they stop and you engage them in conversation give them suggestions for alternative uses of your product. My husband always tells people why the book makes a great gift for loved ones, he gives them suggestions that they may have not have thought about. Help your customer make a good decision.
Fourth, run a show special. For example, we started offering a free gift bag with the purchase of 2 books, or if they purchase 5 books they get a book free (one of our lower priced books). Around the holidays maybe you can offer them a holiday gift bag with the purchase.
Fifth, invite people to sign up for a free drawing to win a signed copy of your book. This will also allow you to have their name and email for future marketing purposes, for distribution of your newsletter, if you have one now, or plan to create one later.
Sixth, take a good look at your display. How does it look? Does it create an inviting atmosphere where people want to come and buy from you? Put yourself in the customers shoes..Would you want to stop at your booth? This has been as I mentioned earlier, a learning experience for us. We have attended many fairs ourselves and have gone from booth to booth to see how others do it and what seems to work. Which booths are people drawn to? and Why? What causes them to walk in to that booth? Take notice and take notes so when you get home you can apply it to your own set up.
Last, but by all means not least, have FUN and enjoy the time and the people. Keep your booth inviting, keep smiling, be friendly and non-threatening throughout the entire day. Remember, every time you stop someone, they are meeting you for the first time and first impressions are the most important. You only have a few seconds to make a great first impression.
So, have FUN, make people happy and have lots of SUCCESS!
Now, I have to admit that has not always been the case in the past. We, like others had experienced the same thing that our fellow vendors were experiencing--and we had to stop and evaluate what we were doing and how we needed to change things around to be more successful. Spending money for these events and not selling anything is not fun, it is actually pretty depressing.So, we decided to get better at it and we have observed other vendors, we have made changes to our presentation and we have learned and evolved (and we still have a long way to go). But since we have seen a significant improvement in our sales, I felt that I had to share with my fellow authors or other vendors some of our successful strategies.
First,get rid of your Director's Chair. Do not avoid perspective customers. Don't hide behind your table. Be friendly, smile. Get out there and interact with the public and strike up a conversation. Ask yourself : Why are you there? You have spent too much time, money and energy in creating your book/art/product. You spent money to exhibit at the show and you are spending your time . You want to sell your product. Why would you want to hide?
Second,when you stop your prospective customers explain to them what makes your book/product unique and how would it benefit them. Tell them how you came about producing it. Some people ask me what made me write the book, others may not ask, but I tell them anyway. Most people are interested, and when they buy your book/product they now have additional information about it and they can tell their friends and family.
Third,give a reason for someone to stop at your table. Have an appealing display and something that will create curiosity. Once they stop and you engage them in conversation give them suggestions for alternative uses of your product. My husband always tells people why the book makes a great gift for loved ones, he gives them suggestions that they may have not have thought about. Help your customer make a good decision.
Fourth, run a show special. For example, we started offering a free gift bag with the purchase of 2 books, or if they purchase 5 books they get a book free (one of our lower priced books). Around the holidays maybe you can offer them a holiday gift bag with the purchase.
Fifth, invite people to sign up for a free drawing to win a signed copy of your book. This will also allow you to have their name and email for future marketing purposes, for distribution of your newsletter, if you have one now, or plan to create one later.
Sixth, take a good look at your display. How does it look? Does it create an inviting atmosphere where people want to come and buy from you? Put yourself in the customers shoes..Would you want to stop at your booth? This has been as I mentioned earlier, a learning experience for us. We have attended many fairs ourselves and have gone from booth to booth to see how others do it and what seems to work. Which booths are people drawn to? and Why? What causes them to walk in to that booth? Take notice and take notes so when you get home you can apply it to your own set up.
Last, but by all means not least, have FUN and enjoy the time and the people. Keep your booth inviting, keep smiling, be friendly and non-threatening throughout the entire day. Remember, every time you stop someone, they are meeting you for the first time and first impressions are the most important. You only have a few seconds to make a great first impression.
So, have FUN, make people happy and have lots of SUCCESS!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Separate worries from concerns
If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety.
If you can't do anything about a situation-forget it!
If you can't do anything about a situation-forget it!
Having Problems?
Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it is time to go to bed to try and pray.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Some more tidbits on how to reduce stress
- Delegate tasks to capable others
- Allow extra time to do things and get to places
- Laugh and then laugh some more
- Be kind to unkind people
- Talk less and listen more
- Every night, before going to bed, think of one thing you are grateful for that you have never been grateful for before....
- Get enough rest
Fluffy catches gopher
Today, we got really excited to see our cat, Fluffy, catch a gopher. We've had Fluffy for about a year now, she came into our backyard one day hungry and meowing, and we decided to feed her and then later when the weather got cold we decided to keep her indoors at night. NOw, she spends half her time indoors and half her time outdoors. Well, she is real sweet, but she does not know how to hunt, she goes out and tries and looks and smells at all the gopher holes but doesn't seem to know what to do, like the other cats do. Well, today she did it! I don't know how, but my husband saw her with the gopher in her mouth and then she dropped it and let it go. It was fun watching her. She was pretty proud of what she did and got lots of praises. She had her first breakthrough.................I just hope she doesn't decide to bring them inside next time!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
I just finished reading a book "My Funny Dad, Harry" by Karen Zemek, and really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever been a caregiver for a loved one, is dealing with that responsibility now or will be in the future. See my review of it on Amazon.com.
I also came across some wisdom words today, while reading a book (The Double Diamond-365 Daily inspirations for extraordinary achievers and leaders....by Mike Murdock
It said: You can create the future you want
I also came across some wisdom words today, while reading a book (The Double Diamond-365 Daily inspirations for extraordinary achievers and leaders....by Mike Murdock
It said: You can create the future you want
- You will never leave where you are, until you decide where you would rather be
- The day you make a decision about your life is the day your world will change
- Move decisively toward the goals you have established
- Intolerance of your present creates your future
And here are some ways to reduce stress-------
- Pray
- God to bed early
- Get up on time so you can start your day unrushed
- Simplify and unclutter your life
- Slow down
- Take one day at a time-Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have worried twice.
More to come on my next post!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Are you bored with life?
"Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart. Live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours"
.....Dale Carnegie.....
As I mentioned in my bio, I decided to write about our dog, Bunny, who for 13 years suffered from Addison's desease. It is to keep her memory alive and by sharing her challenges and our experiences with her, I thought that it would be helpful to others who may be facing difficult challenges in their lives....In the back of my mind, I guess I always wanted to write, but never thought I would...What would I write about?
Well, one day I woke up in the middle of the night and that question was answered! All kinds of ideas kept running through my mind and I got up and started writing them all down so that I wouldn't forget.All those ideas became all my chapters in my book, Paws of Wisdom-Valuable Lessons We Can Learn From Our pets. I always thought it was God inspired and the more I continued to write the more I was convinced of that fact, because everything fell into place, and people appeared to help me every step of the way. So, I am very thankful to God that I was moved to finish the project and most of all it got finished just before my mother passed away. She got to see the finished product!
"Paws of Wisdom" is funny, sad and most of all I believe thought provoking.
To order directly from me email me a request for the book at: harmonybookpub@quixnet.net
and I will mail you an autographed copy. I will also send you my address where you can mail me a check for $15.58 (includes tax for California, plus shipping). 32% discount, Reg. Price $22.95.
Remember-Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending....may you take all the opportunities that come your way every day!!
.....Dale Carnegie.....
As I mentioned in my bio, I decided to write about our dog, Bunny, who for 13 years suffered from Addison's desease. It is to keep her memory alive and by sharing her challenges and our experiences with her, I thought that it would be helpful to others who may be facing difficult challenges in their lives....In the back of my mind, I guess I always wanted to write, but never thought I would...What would I write about?
Well, one day I woke up in the middle of the night and that question was answered! All kinds of ideas kept running through my mind and I got up and started writing them all down so that I wouldn't forget.All those ideas became all my chapters in my book, Paws of Wisdom-Valuable Lessons We Can Learn From Our pets. I always thought it was God inspired and the more I continued to write the more I was convinced of that fact, because everything fell into place, and people appeared to help me every step of the way. So, I am very thankful to God that I was moved to finish the project and most of all it got finished just before my mother passed away. She got to see the finished product!
"Paws of Wisdom" is funny, sad and most of all I believe thought provoking.
To order directly from me email me a request for the book at: harmonybookpub@quixnet.net
and I will mail you an autographed copy. I will also send you my address where you can mail me a check for $15.58 (includes tax for California, plus shipping). 32% discount, Reg. Price $22.95.
Remember-Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending....may you take all the opportunities that come your way every day!!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Blog Mission: Sharing Wisdom
"Seek wisdom at any cost and hold on tightly to all the good sense you get"
Proverbs 23:23
Proverbs 23:23
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