Quote of the Day

"Happiness is not an accident. Nor is it something you wish for. Happiness is something you design."
~JIM ROHN~

Where is Tonya?

I am "here".... I must apologize for my absence this week and I will not lie and say I will be here more in the week to come. Truthfully, I think it will be safe to say that my time on the computer will be limited from now until the middle of January. Christmas is mine and my husband's favorite time of the year. With two small children we have so many things we want to do with them. We are paving the way for our "special" family traditions. The children always come first.

I will still be blogging, but like I said, my time on the computer will be limited. I have lots of great stuff in store for you. I hope some of you are getting excited about the portable vision board party that I am having in January (no formal date has been set yet but probably after my marathon, which is Jan 11th). I hope you have been cutting and saving some good pictures to use.

I am going to leave you with this quote from Brian Tracy. It fits in nicely with the previous posts on goals.

"Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goals"
~BRIAN TRACY~

Purpose VS Goals

All goals need a destination. This is why I can't say enough about the importance of our vision statements . Taking the time to write a vision statement forces us to have a purpose. Without a purpose we are just wandering aimlessly through life hoping something good will happen.What would happen if we went to the bus station or airport and asked for "a ticket" and that was all the information we could give? Chances are we wouldn't end up where we wanted to go. And if we ever did end up where we wanted to go, it would take a lot longer to get there than if we would have just been specific in the first place.

Lets expand on the "trip" metaphor for a moment.
Goals = the preparation for our trip; buying our tickets, booking a motel, packing our suitcase, etc...
Purpose= where we are going, our destination

Our goals may be the set of our sail, but at some point in time we need to decide where we are sailing to.
To be truly fulfilled we need to have a purpose in at least 3 areas of our lives (home, social, and work). Home, of course, being the most important. What type of parent do I want to be? What type of relationship do I want to have with my spouse? What type of house do I want to live in? What State or Country do I want to live in? What will be the important life lessons that I pass on to my children? These are all important questions to ask when trying to give ourselves a purpose.

Socially we need to ask ourselves questions like; What do I want to do for fun? What type of friends do I want to have? What will I do in my free time? What charities will I support?

The third component is "work". What type of job do I want? How much money do I want to make? How will I contribute to society? What investments will I make? What risks will I take?

Once we decide on our destination/purpose it will be easier to figure out what goals we will need to get there. It is a step by step process, one goal at a time. And remember, once we have that burning desire and throw some emotion into the mix our subconscious mind can take over. When our consuming thoughts are positive and focused on our purpose the creative ideas will come to us more readily. Our subconscious mind is continually working on something, why not let it work on "our purpose".

Quote & Thought

"When you choose to be pleasant and positive in the way you treat others, you have also chosen in most cases, how you are going to be treated by others"
~ZIG ZIGLAR~


The holiday season is upon us. With end of the year deadlines arriving, shopping to do, presents to wrap, decorations to put up, baking to do, increased traffic, and decreased tolerance it is easy to forget how to act. I thought this Zig Ziglar quote would be a perfect way to start the week fresh. Lets remember to stay focused and positive towards others this holiday season. If somebody gets short with you; let it go. It probably has nothing to do with you. More than likely they have a list of 20 things they need to get done and they are just frustrated with themselves and their own time management skills.

*****

Many thanks to everybody who made it to the Christmas party on Saturday. The donations for the homeless were great! Robin and I went through them this morning and could not believe how much great stuff we got. I am very proud of all my friends. You guys really did a great thing by helping us collect the items we needed for their Christmas backpacks. Thanks guys!!!

~~~REMINDERS~~~

Just a few reminders for the local readers; this Saturday is our Christmas party. It starts b/n 6:30 & 7pm and goes til about 11pm. Santa will be arriving ~ 8pm. Need to know a definite head count on the children. Address is 6129 Sanctuary Garden Blvd in P.O. Guests are to bring their favorite holiday dish and a donation to the homeless, most of you have already gotten a list of the items needed. But if you have lost it, it is things like soap, washcloths, shampoo, snacks, juice boxes,toothbrushes, toothpaste, neosporin, etc.... Basically the things we use everyday. Myself and Mary Kay are providing deodorant and razors, some jackets and some toothpaste and raisins. Trena bought some jackets and Ellen bought 50 pair of socks. I think Mona is bringing tooth brushes, but I am not 100% sure.

Also Sunday is the last Leukemia / Lymphoma fundraiser. It is being held at the Artic Zone Ice Arena, 2400 S. Ridgewood Ave in South Daytona. It starts at 2pm and goes til 5pm. Cost is $7. If you and your families are free on Sunday you should come out and join us. It will be fun!! There will be Christmas music and hot chocolate. The owners are donating 50% back to us for our fundraising.

Quote

"The walls we build around us to keep out the sadness also keep out the joy."
~~JIM ROHN~~



As I was looking for the perfect quote to leave here tonight, this one just jumped out at me. We all probably know at least one person who has built a protective barrier around themselves so they "don't get hurt". It is sad to think that because they are living on the defense they wont/can't experience life's joy. Share this quote with anyone who you think can benefit from these words of wisdom. Jim Rohn is so great at saying a mouthful in so few words, that is one of the reasons why I love his work so much.

The Importance of Goals

By nature, humans are goal oriented creatures. We like the satisfying feeling we get when we accomplish even the smallest of tasks. That is why writing a "to do" list each day and crossing things off as we go is so helpful. The sense of accomplishment we feel as we cross off each task is as good as a pat on the back. But lets look a little farther ahead than the end of the day. Lets look 1 month, 1 year, 5 years, or even 10 years into the future. Where do we want to be and what goals do we need to reach to get there.

Our goals are like the wind in our sail. They give us the umph we need to get busy. Goals give our subconscious mind an invisible road map to follow. Lets think about the major areas of our lives and figure out where we could use some new goals. We've got financial/work, relationships/family, intellectual/mental, physical, and spiritual. Where are we under performing? I know there are a few areas in my life that could benefit from a goal remodification.

Lets all make a list of at least 2 goals in each area that we want to accomplish by the end of the year, that will give us almost a month. They don't have to be anything major, just something you can write down and cross off as you accomplish them. I'll throw out a few ideas to get your mind moving in the right direction.

financial/work: take a 3 day weekend off, open a savings account for the kids or if they already have one; ut $20 into their accounts instead of buying another toy, count the change in the nightstand drawer....

relational/family: call an old friend, call your grandparents, send out Christmas cards, buy a toy for Toys For Tots, take your kids to look at Christmas lights, put on a jacket and go for a walk on the beach (if you live on the coast), go to a movie with your spouse/kids, get some sidewalk chalk and play hop scotch in the driveway, ask your kids what their goals are.....

intellectual/mental: go to the museum, read a good book, register for a cooking or sewing class at the local community college, think of something you want to learn about and research it online, take your kids to the library.....

physical: go to a salon and get your hair cut/colored/highlighted, go to the gym, go for a walk in the neighborhood, get a massage, get a manicure, go to the dentist, go to the doctor for a physical, get an eye exam, go 1 day with out soda.....

spiritual: go to a quiet place (outside...like a park, the ocean, the woods, etc) and just sit still for 30 minutes (with no phone) and just breathe, say a prayer someone, go to church, tell God what you are thankful for.....

That is a pretty good list to start with, now read it over and pick a few or come up with a few of your own ideas. Make your list and actually write it down and as you accomplish your goals go ahead and cross them off. It really does feel wonderful. This little exercise will put us all in a great goal oriented mindset for the new year.