Thoughts I'd Like To Share...

Nothing like the untimely death of someone you’ve grown up admiring to cause plenty of quiet introspection. I am still in shock about the tragic and untimely death of Ms. Whitney Houston. It almost seems surreal… But it does beg the question, “Are you ready to get your act together yet?” This past weekend was my son’s 8 th birthday. True to our very unconventional nature, we decided to have a pool party in February. Now since we live in Florida, that’s not all that shocking in and of itself but wouldn’t you know it, we had a “cold snap” this weekend. Thankfully, it wasn’t too bad Saturday, about 70 degrees. But, the parents were cooperative, the children had a blast and our family was enjoying some much needed R&R. In fact, I was in the Arcade at the resort where we were staying when I got a text message from my friend, “Whitney Houston has passed? Turn on tv” To which I replied, “We’re in the arcade. Is she dead?” The heart-wrenching reply still causes a knot i...

A healthy body, soul and spirit is the key to a balanced lifestyle. In Twelve Pillars , A Novel by Jim Rohn and Chris Widener, it is referred to as living a “Life of Three-Dimensional Health. You should make sure that the outside of you is a good reflection of the inside of you.” Well-balanced healthy meals provide a variety of essential nutrients. Good nutrition helps you maintain a healthy weight and overall wellness. (taken from Herbalife International of America) Of equal importance is scheduling time to exercise. You see, setting goals and prioritizing your tasks is of little value if you are too sick, depressed or tired to do anything. You must attend to your spiritual well-being in addition to your physical well-being. In order to achieve success you must decide to make positive changes in your life that will help you reach your goals. Once you make that decision will you commit to doing the necessary things to reach your goals? Once you decide what you want out...

How will you prioritize your tasks for each day? You will align your activities with your goals. What is considered urgent and what is considered important? Urgent issues are equated with emergencies. Are you completing the urgent tasks first? You must commit to setting goals and aligning your tasks with accomplishing goals. According to Stephen Covey, you must…”put first things first.” You should assign a number to each task that you need to complete sooner rather than later. These are tasks that are urgent must be completed immediately or they will create crises. Urgent tasks will be given an assignment of one. Tasks that are important need to be completed in a timely manner but they are not urgent. They will be assigned a number of two. Once you determine the most urgent task that you must be complete each day, you should commit to focusing on that task until it is completed. By doing this, you can maximize your productivity and reduce the issues that require immed...

You must make an effort to find balance in 2012. Work hard but build lasting and meaningful relationships. Recently, I completed reading Twelve Pillars, a novel by Jim Rohn and Chris Widener. It has literally changed my perspective on the way I approach life. It has energized me to create a stable financial future but I also want to bring along as many other folks with me who want to work hard and play hard too! To that end, I am offering suggestions on ways to maximize your empire building efforts. The key is in managing your time wisely. Get yourself a day planner, use your phone, use your lap top but get out there and meet people but don’t forget to follow-up with them and build relationships. The fortune is in the follow-up. People want to do business with folks they know and like. The third Monday of each month is Connect over Coffee on Kirkman Road at the Jackson-Hewitt office. On Tuesday mornings at 8:30 there is a networking event operated by the SRB Networking Group ...

Protein is extremely important in the process of losing weight. The amount of quality protein in your diet is the single most important calorie that influences your metabolic rate favorably influencing weight loss. A significant body of evidence indicates that protein levels far higher than our government’s suggested levels of intake are optimal for weight loss as long as you simultaneously decrease carbohydrate intake. Increasing your intake of protein can greatly improve your odds of reaching your optimal weight. Quality protein also helps you sustain muscle during weight loss, improve muscle fitness, improve immunity, improve antioxidant function, build HDL cholesterol, and enhance insulin and leptin function – all of which contribute towards optimal weight management efforts over time. Protein is made up of various amino acids. The most important amino acid is leucine. Getting your protein intake high enough, especially proteins rich in leucine, can activate a sluggish metaboli...

If you have a child that has been diagnosed with ADHD as I do, you may be dreading the beginning of the upcoming school year. However, I have great hope that the improvements that we saw at the end of last school year will continue into the new school year. It didn’t hurt that he had an awesome teacher who was very committed and understanding. We worked together very well as a team. There must be an open line of communication between the teacher and the parent. I love that in this new era of communication, I was able to converse with my son’s teacher by text message. We did a great deal with my son through diet, vitamin supplements and behavior management. I have gone through great “pains” to avoid medicating my child and possibly affecting his health for years to come. According to Jennifer Shu, MD, “Studies show that children with healthier diets tend to behave and perform better at school. Chances are these desired effects extend to the home as well.” Hunger surges can also c...

An increasing number of experts have said that a solution to many educational challenges may be as simple as good after-school programs. Hi-Tech Tutoring Center, Inc., offers just such a program to help enhance the educational experiences of at-risk youth. According to a new study of 35 after-school programs serving low-income elementary and middle school students, children who regularly attended a program were (academically) far ahead of their peers. Not only did test scores increase, but their work habits, social skills and behavior improved with increased after-school activities. Just from anecdotal information received from parents, we know that many students do not handle un-supervised time well. At HTTC, we have a contract with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. We are all too familiar with the spike in the crime rate between 3pm and 6pm. We offer activities that do more than keep students occupied. We know that we offer a top-notch program, but we lack the funding to s...