DO YOU TEXT WHEN YOU SHOULD TALK?

Several years ago, I heard the comedian Sinbad make jokes about our cell phone usage. What an invention! “We use our cell phones for everything but talking,” Sinbad joked! Sublimely true, our cell phones have so many varied uses in addition to our verbal conversations. We text, email, and let's not forget that our cell phones become our babysitter and company keeper particularly when we are alone! They have become the most engaging communication and information tools that connect us to the world. Agreed?

However, when they replace the sheer intimacy of our basic conversation; our eye to eye contact, and our relationship togetherness, there is a problem! Text messaging has its advantages and is most convenient if you want to avoid contact. When we substitute our “one on one” face to face sharing by using an instrument, the technology has taken a seat at our table. If it becomes an ingredient that causes communication indigestion, a “medicinal cure” would ultimately be needed before we regurgitate a breakup or a divorce! Pepto Bismol … to the rescue! All kidding aside, the Bottom Line is – We shouldn’t ignore each other when we can talk! Sometimes, a text message or email just will not do the trick. Photo credit: www.mytechportal.com

DO YOU STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD?

By Vernalee

To be obvious or unusual form the basis for Standing Out From The Crowd. Our actions, behavior, leadership … determine where we stand. Certainly, our attitude and aptitude determine the altitude to how high we rise. If you want to be more than the “average bear” and not just blend in, mediocrity has no place in your world. It has been said, “Normalcy is what makes you part of the crowd. Character is what makes you stand out from the crowd. But principle is what makes you rise above the crowd.” With that being said, how will you make your way through the maze?

Here are ways to stand out and rise above the crowd. 1. Take Initiative. 2. Have a positive mental attitude (PMA). 3. Have Goals. 4. Be open to take risks and keep an open mind. 5. Be a Go Getter. We have to stay “charged up,” stay motivated, take the challenge, execute, deliver, and display positivity in our actions and leadership. Never forget that your actions are always seen by someone. Yes, we are constantly watched. When we deliver our best and don’t short-step on quality, who we are don’t matter as much as what we produce! Photo credit: www.business2community.com; Source: Kenneth Cloutier, Get Motivated for Success.

WHO ARE YOUR FRIENDS?

By Vernalee

Crossing racial, gender, and socio-economics lines, I call a selected few my true friends. They are my friends not for how they look or what they have, but for the genuine relationship that we share.

It is said that you basically need five types of friends. Without calling my friends by name, let me provide you with their descriptions. The comedian is the friend who makes you laugh and interjects humor into your life. The risk taker is the adventurer who stimulates you beyond the status quo. The loyalist will stand by your side through thick and thin no matter what. The challenger always encourages you to maximize your position. The life coach is the friend who you can talk to about anything without judgment being passed. A few of my friends have amazingly combined these five ingredients into one. From Mississippi to Ohio with an extension into multiple other states, I am truly blessed as I have these wonderful loving people in my life. Their professions are too multiple to outline. Regardless of what they do on their day jobs or if they don't work at all, I believe that they sincerely care about me as I care about them! We genuinely want the best for each other and do not begrudge the other. Encouragement is in; jealously is out. Love flows in all direction as does our advice. I made a basic discovery years ago – The type of friend that you are is just as important as the type of friend that you have! Like a magnet, you attract what you are! It is my responsibility to be there for them as they are for me. The measurement stick has been removed. We just do! It is a two way street. It is what friends do! Photo credit: www.gettyimages.com