Keep On, Keeping On

by admin on January 27, 2012

Keep On, Keeping On
Author Unknown

Colonel Sanders went to more than 1,000 places trying to sell his chicken recipe before he found an interested buyer. The fact that we can buy Kentucky Fried Chicken today attests to his perseverance. Thomas Edison tried almost 10,000 times before he succeeded in creating the electric light. If he had given up, you would be reading this in the dark!

The original business plan for what was to become Federal Express was given a failing grade on Fred Smith¹s college exam. And, in the early days, their employees would cash their paychecks at retail stores, rather than banks. This meant it would take longer for the money to clear, thereby giving Fed Ex more time to cover their payroll.

Sylvester Stallone had been turned down a thousand times by agents and was down to his last $600 before he found a company that would produce Rocky. The rest is history! To truly succeed requires a total commitment to your goal. Too many people make the mistake of quitting just short of success. Keep going no matter what. If you really believe in what you are doing, give it all you’ve got and don’t give up.

You will succeed. There is no such thing as failure. Every action produces an outcome. It may not always be the outcome you are looking for, but it is an outcome nonetheless. If you monitor the results of your actions and keep correcting what is not working, you will eventually produce the outcome you are looking for.

Be Persistent .  As was said about President Calvin Coolidge: “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with great talent. Genius will not. Un-rewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Don’t quit before the miracle happens!

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3 Tips to Not Having the Same Ol’, Same Ol’ Year

by Darcy Keith on January 24, 2012


     As we celebrate another year’s beginning, the phrase we tend to hear is, “Happy New Year!”  Have you ever heard, “Happy Old Year?”  No?  Why not?  Is it because we are optimistic that the new year is going to be different from the prior one or are we saying “Happy New Year” just to be nice?
     What is your plan or resolution for this new year?  Are you wanting things in your life to change for the positive?  If so, what are you doing about it?  I must confess, almost every year, I resolve to losing weight.  I really mean it in 2012 since I have a milestone class reunion. By the end of January, that resolution is no longer a thought in my head.  I’ve given up.  I’m not making any or much noticeable progress.  Sound familiar?
     What is the secret to making your resolutions and goals a reality and not a not-so-distant memory?  What can you do today that will yield progress in the coming days, while not getting discouraged?   Do you truly want to make it a “Happy New Year?” 

Here are three suggestions on how to make it happen:
    • Is the economy getting you down?  How about a present situation at home or work?  Though you may get into a “funk” at times, decide to be happy anyway.  Ok, if you don’t, when?  When the economy gets better?  When that ideal job opportunity opens up? 
    • Don’t wait to take action and then be happy.  Do it now.  Really, Darcy?  I don’t know my circumstances, you say?  True, I don’t.  But, happiness is a treasure and a choice that we have access to right now.  Don’t wait until you lose that extra 10 lbs., until you get married, until you buy a house, until you have kids, until you retire, and…well, you get the picture.  Be happy now.  Happiness is in your head.
    • You control your own destiny.  Do you want 2012 to be the same as 2011?   Were there events in 2011 that you would like NOT to see repeated in 2012?  I know I do.  But, how can history not repeat itself?  The answer lies making good choices.  If you sit around and do nothing, what‘s going to happen?  Nothing.  If you make a poor decision without weighing the consequences, you may end up in the same predicament that you were before.  Why not take control of what happens to you by evaluating your current situation and learning from it to make a better choice?  What can YOU do to take control of what happens to you?

     Let’s put the “Happy” back into “Happy New Year”.   Happiness is now, not after a ten pound loss, not after my children leave to go to college, not after you retire.  Get out of your funk and decide to be happy by taking action now.  You control how you feel.  Happiness is inside you always and helps you get through the tough times.  Why not let it out and have a Happy 2012?  What are some ways that you do this?

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THANKFUL

by admin on January 20, 2012

THANKFUL
by Annie Abraham  

 

1.  The birds chirping early morning

2.  Waking up and seeing your partner sleeping peacefully next to you

3.  Kissing your sleeping child

4.  Seeing the early morning sky

5.  The sunset over the horizon

6.  The first cup of tea

7.  The steaming hot coffee

8.  Sloppy kisses from your kids

9.  The unexpected back rub from your partner

10.  The sloppy-sleepy-warm hug from your partner

11.  Steaming hot food after a tired day

12.  The delight on your parents face when you visit them

13.  Your mother fussing over your food, however old you are.

14.  Your dad saying there is enough gas in their car for you to go around

15.  Sharing jokes with your nieces and nephews

16.  The family prayer time 17. Dinner with parents

18.  Handmade gifts from your kids

19.  Parents good health

20.  The unexpected hug from loved ones

21.  The reassuring squeeze from your partner before the visit to the doctor

22.  The church bells ringing

23.  Lovely book to read

24.  A call from your favorite cousin

25.  A friend saying hello with no reason

26.  A smile from your colleague

27.  Water flowing through the taps

28.  A roof over your head

29.  A comfortable bed and pillow to curl up on

30.  Comfortable shoes to walk in

31.  A welcome shriek from your kid when you walk in tired after work

32.  To walk barefoot

33.  The first leaf on the new plant you have

34.  The bloom on the rose plant

35.  For all the people who love you

36.  Coffee with a dear friend

37.  Your dog nuzzling you awake

38.  Kid performing on stage

39.  Christmas

40.  Santa’s visits

41.  Tooth fairy

42.  Wonderful doctor

43.  A fairy disguised as a dentist

44.  A nice cool drink when you are tired

45.  To rest after a tired day’s work

46.  Contact lenses

47.  Lovely friends

48.  Amazing family

49.  Nutty adorable buddies

50.  Clean air

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annie Abraham is a daughter, a wife, a mother, a professional and a MDI subscriber and “Me” with a zest to “Live” life thanking God always! Anne can be contacted at annie_ab@yahoo.com

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       Being a caregiver of a brain injury survivor isn’t easy.   Each caregiver’s story is different.  Some have experienced some similar and uniquely different things as they deal with the family member who has a brain injury.
     Each caregiver’s story will depend on which family member has sustained a brain injury and, from that point on, the other family member(s) take on new positions or new roles in the family. Some of these new roles include:
    • Paying the household and survivor’s bills
    • Taxi driver 
    • Walking & talking daily planner
    • Case manager
    • Housekeeper
    • Cook
    • Role model
    • Financial provider
    
     What are 5 things that we should know about caregivers as they try to fill the above roles for us survivors?  Caregivers possibly are:
    • Striving to stay positive and proactive throughout this experience
    • Feeling a sense of isolation from not only their loved one but other ”friends”
    • Feeling like they are “walking on eggshells”
    • Wanting to grieve, even though their loved one is beside them
    • Feeling like they are flying by the seat of their pants on a regular basis.
 
     There are many “issues” that we survivors deal with everyday.  Sometimes, it takes all of our energy to focus on what we are doing and trying to remember things.  However, we should also recognize the “issues” felt by our caregivers and try to help them out whenever possible.  By doing this, it will only help us, as they try to take care of us in living our “new” life and dealing with our injury.  What other things should we survivors know about caregivers?  Please feel free to leave a comment.

* Thanks to Rosalyn Fast, caregiver of a survivor of brain injury, for the main points for this article.

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Life’s “Living” Moments

January 13, 2012

Life’s “Living” Moments By Annie Abraham   How many “living” moments did you experience today, in the last one-week or one month? Can’t remember! True because most of us are so busy trying to live life that what we are actually doing is not living but trying to catch up. Because we are conditioned to believe [...]

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UNTIL IT SNOWS

December 30, 2011

UNTIL IT SNOWS  By Bob Perks I love the quiet snow brings. My world is loud and busy. Until it snows. I love the pure, white satin finish snow brings. My world is dusty, dirty and very dull since summer faded leaving me longing for rose colored days and lilac scented nights. Its stays that [...]

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CHRISTMAS IS FOR LOVE

December 16, 2011

CHRISTMAS IS FOR LOVE  Author Unknown   Christmas is for love. It is for joy, for giving and sharing, for laughter, for reuniting with family and friends, for tinsel and brightly decorated packages. But mostly, Christmas is for love. I had not believed this until a small elf-like student with wide-eyed innocent eyes and soft [...]

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MEMORY TREE

December 9, 2011

MEMORY TREE By Michael T. Smith   I pull the boxes of ornaments from the closet and prepare myself for a trip into the past.  No photo album can bring back as many memories as my box of ornaments.  Like a picture, each ornament contains a memory.   There’s the box of wooden ones, handmade [...]

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The Story of the Butterfly

December 3, 2011

The Story of the Butterfly A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.
One day a small opening appeared.
 He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours 
as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole.
 Then it stopped, as if it couldn’t go further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. [...]

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3 Holiday Lessons from My Presentation with the Baltimore Ravens

November 22, 2011

     On November 7th, I had the distinct privilege to present the “Traffic Education and Decision Making” module of the NFL’s Rookie Success Program with the Baltimore Ravens’ rookies.  The focus of the module was on g…

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