Where are you looking?

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up.
— Jesse Jackson

OK, I admit I think I was pretty geeky in high school. I read a lot and got good grades. I also was known by everyone in school as well. Why? Because I never looked down on anyone. I hung out with the band, the punkers, the jocks, the popular people, the nerds. You name the clique, I knew at least two people from it. When I hung out with someone it was because of who they were on the inside, not on the outside.

Even when I went on to work I would hang out with a variety of people, except the group of girls I knew who never washed their hands after using the restroom. Variety is the spice of life. You never know the story behind a person's life, unless they tell you, that makes them who they are today. So why would you look down on them?

I know people in social settings tend to flock together with their own "groups", but it is always great to get out of your comfort zone and talk to someone who you would never regularly talk you. You never know what you can learn. I LOVE watching Beauty and the Geek. You will usually see the girls talking bad about the guys up front because why would they want to hang out with a geek? By the end of the show they realize that the guys aren't as bad as they thought.

Next time you come across someone you normally look down on, why not look up and see what you are missing.

Are you young or old?

The more one worries, the older one gets; the more one laughs, the younger one feels.
— Chinese proverb

Maybe the reason everyone thinks that I am younger than I am is because I laugh a lot. Just the other day my sister and I were cooking dinner for a family dinner and my mom, two sisters, and myself were standing around in the kitchen listening to the radio. We heard "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" come on and we all started singing and dancing to it. We were laughing and really enjoying ourselves.

I don't mind making a fool of myself from time to time. Now my kids will get embarrassed from time to time, but I don't care. If you can't laugh out loud, then how are you supposed to get through life? I can even sneak a dance in from time to time with my oldest son while he has the radio going in his room. Of course no one is looking because then that would not be cool, but we still enjoy ourselves.

The guys in my family all think that they are comedians, so they like to try their jokes on me. Sometimes I am laughing so hard that my eyes start to water. There are other times when something they say will set me off. Other people may not find it as funny as me, but I am the type of people who visualizes what is going on while people are explaining things to me so if I am getting this picture in my mind when they are talking to me, I can find some things pretty darn funny.

I don't mind telling people my age, which is 35, but I feel like I am 21 and holding because I enjoy life so much and what it has to offer. So if you ever find yourself in the same location as me as hear some goofball in the background, that is probably me laughing my head off at something funny someone told me. (As a hint for those attending the ICEA conference in October 2007, Jackie Farley will be a guest speaker. She is so hilarious, that you will be hearing me laughing hysterically when she gives her presentation.)

My advice to you is to stay young for as long as possible. Laugh more.

Are you lost?

Last night my mom was driving over to my house with my dad. Now earlier in the day I had given my mom directions, again, to drive over on the streets versus the freeway. I had repeated the instructions to her more than once. My dad fell asleep and during that time my mom proceeded to get lost. She spent two hours driving around in circles. Instead of pulling over and calling me when she first got lost so that I could guide her, she just kept driving around and around. Finally she called me and explained that she was lost. I told her to immediately pull over and tell me where she was. I told her to stay put and that I would go to where she was and she could then follow me back to my house. Of course we made it to my house with no problems, because I knew where I was going.

This got me thinking about some of the people I have come across who tell me that they are lost in their business. They are unsure where they are going and continue to go around in circles without really accomplishing much except using up their time and money and getting nowhere. My first response to them is to stop. If you don't know where you are going the first thing you need to do is get directions. You shouldn't ask just any person for directions, but you should ask someone who knows their way around. Once you have those directions, follow them closely. If you don't, you will end up lost again. Once you follow the directions, you should be headed on the right track to end up at your destination, which should be a successful business.

My husband hates to ask for directions, which is his prerogative, but we always end up taking longer to get to our destinations because he is so hard headed. Now on the other hand, I don't mind asking for help if I am lost. Why? I would rather put out the time or money at the beginning to get to where I am going correctly then waste my resources trying to figure it out on my own. It doesn't make me less of a person for asking, it just makes me a smarter person because I had the forethought to extend my hand out for help. People are willing to help you out, but you have to ask for it and you have to really want that help.

The next time you are headed somewhere, whether it is in your personal or business life, make sure you have directions and that you follow them or you might end up lost. Oh, and one more thing, enjoy the journey to your destination. That's always the fun part.

A positive outlook on things

Yesterday my husband and I were out in our garage doing a little spring cleaning. During that time, a few people took it upon themselves to break into our house and steal all of my oldest son's electronic toys, some of his clothes, and my husband's brand new 80 GB iPod that I had purchased for him last month. To say I was pissed off is an understatement. Did I want to string up whomever did it by their toes and make them suffer? You bet.

My son, being almost 15, tries to act hard and as if nothing bothers him. It broke my heart to see him crying and upset over the fact that some jerks decided to act in this manner. I went out and replaced his Xbox 360 and iPod, as well as my husband's iPod. Today we are going out to replenish his wardrobe. Unfortunately we thought that this could never happen to us and did not have insurance. Last night we purchased insurance for the next what if's.

As my husband and I were out yesterday to buy window locks and wood to block the sliding glass door, we went next door to Sam's Club to purchase the replacement items. As we were leaving, there was a gentleman outside the exit door selling See's Candy bars. My husband told the gentleman, "We were robbed today. Why not bring some goodness to our day." So we purchased a few bars of candy.

The gentleman started telling us that we can't always help the bad things that happen to us, but that God will never give us more than we can handle and there is a purpose for things happening the ways they do sometimes. I thanked him for the candy and his time and went on my way.

Although I couldn't change the fact that someone had come into my home and violated my peace of mind and the security of my home, I could change how I looked at the situation. I could have chosen to dwell on it and build up hate, anger, and all kinds of other feelings that would make my stomach churn and make me feel ill. I chose to set aside the events of the day and move on with life. My husband took my oldest son to the movies and the rest of us had pizza delivered and watched TV. OK, my daughter was on the phone with her boyfriend, but at least she was back to herself.

By looking at the positive side of things, such as no one was hurt, we can take these life lessons and build on them.

Do you bargin shop?

A bargain is something you can't use at a price you can't resist.
— Franklin P. Jones

OK, I have to admit, I have used coupons in the past. Sunday mornings I would be up at the crack of dawn with my newspaper on my lap as I watched food cooking shows from my bed and clipped coupons. Then, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays I would spend my time going through the grocery ads to compare my coupons to their sales. I do have to brag a little though. I once had $300 worth of groceries in my cart and only paid $75 for them after all of my coupons and store card was used. Not bad, not bad. The thing though was that it took a lot of my time to compile my list for the week and sometimes I would buy things I may not have really needed just because they were a bargain.

How about some of you who visit garage sales and yard sales looking for the perfect bargain? My in-laws like checking them out. Although they didn't always buy something, there were times where they bought something and then didn't want it only to talk my husband into taking it. If it was a bargain they didn't use, what makes you think I wanted their bargain?

Many people get caught in the different specials that are offered at stores, restaurants, and many other places. If I think I am going into bargain frenzy, I stop and look at the item and wonder whether it really is something that I need or will use. I could walk out with free or highly discounted items all of the time, but I don't want to become a pack rat hoarding my bargains.

I keep a folder for coupons I think that I may use, such as a fast food coupon or a coupon from a retail store for something I was planning on buying. At the end of the week, if I haven't used it yet, it gets tossed. After all, if I didn't use it in that one week time frame, then I really didn't plan on using it in the first place. I do keep a small set, about 4-5, of coupons in my purse for stores that I may frequent. This way, if I decide last minute that I want to go there, the coupon is ready for me to use.

My advice to you is to do two things when out shopping. 1. Make a list and stick to it. Otherwise... 2. Resist.