Do they listen? Do they hear you?

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Beth Terry — No Comments ↓

Teenage hummingbirds don't listen to mmom — Even in nature Teenagers don’t listen to their moms!

Whether you are a high schooler talking a suicidal friend down from the ledge, or a teacher, parent, or trainer, you want to be heard. You want them to listen to you and act on it.

Is anyone listening? Do they hear me? We often wonder. We say a lot of things. Counselors, parents, and trainers prepare our remarks with the hope these gems falling from our lips will make a positive or life-changing impact on the listeners. We don’t know if we’re heard, even if they nod in agreement. Did our words hit home?

Confirmation they heard comes in little gifts here and there

Early in my career I had a wonderful confirmation that has motivated me on my lowest days. I retell it to encourage all of the above people to say your piece and let God do the rest. Memory is an amazing thing. “When the student is ready, the teacher shows up.”

I had started my new speaking business on a shoestring after being an administrator for years. When a mentor asked me what I would do if money were no object, I answered without hesitation: “Start a Training Business!” He told me to “go and claim your inheritance, Beth. Claim the gifts you’ve been given and do this.”

So I did. I was fortunate to have many clients immediately. I’d been in Hawaii for a couple of decades and knew a lot of people. Still, being a 24/7 marketer had its challenges.

Listen and ye shall receive

On the way to church one Sunday morning I was yelling at God. “Please tell me if this is the right path for me! This is TOOOOOO HARD! I need a sign!”

I sat through the sermon and… nothin’. Then I listened to the readings and the songs – nothin’. I was standing outside with friends for coffee hour when a young woman I didn’t recognize approached me. “Are you Beth Terry?” Me: “Ummm, yes?” Not sure what she wanted.

“I want to thank you for saving my life.” A little taken aback I asked her how I had done that.

“Do you remember about 8 years ago when you gave a talk at Central Intermediate?”

“Yes. Yes, I do.”

“Remember you were there to teach all those kids how to interview for jobs?”

“Right. That was fun.”

“Well, you may remember there was a Goth girl standing at the back of the room rolling her eyes and shaking her head at all your great advice?’

“Oh, right! Yes, I remember her!” Visions of a girl with a bad attitude in dark eye liner, a pitbull necklace, black fingernails and head-to-toe black clothing popped into my head.

“That was me.”

“Wow. Good job recovering,” I said to the very polished young lady standing in front of me. “So, how did I save your life?”

She heard me – when she needed to

“About 3 years ago, I was sitting on my lanai with a razor blade to my wrist. Suddenly I heard your voice in my head. I put down the razor, went inside and washed all the Goth off, got dressed and went downtown to look for a job. I got hired!”

Me, trying not to tear up, “Wow. Congratulations! What on earth did I say?”

“You ended your speech to us by saying, ‘Everybody has something good about them and something they need to work on. Expand the good and work on the stuff that needs it. Then go out into the world and make it better because you were born.”

Tears flowed down my face as I hugged her. “That’s pretty good. Sounds like something I say all the time. I’m so happy you heard it!”

“Well I only heard it when I needed it…”

This isn’t about you

And that, my friends, is why you should never worry if it doesn’t appear you were heard. Even if they don’t act on it, when their brains listen, it gets recorded somewhere. People hear things when they are ready, not necessarily when you say them. The brain is an amazing instrument. It has the capacity to store things for later. So keep giving your messages of hope and encouragement. Some day they will hear you. And remember, you are the messenger. It’s not about you. It’s about them. They will hear you when they need to.

Now, get out in the world and make it better because you were born!

Blessings,

More tips on how to communicate clearly

@2019 Beth Terry, BethTerry.com, Beth Terry Events

PS – I have room for Two more coaching clients for my one-on-one Public Speaker Coaching. Email me! You’ll be glad you did!

Overwhelmed?

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Beth Terry — 5 Comments ↓

You Can Conquer Your Overwhelm!

Feeling like this lately?

You aren’t alone. Overwhelm seems to be a natural state for many these days. We live in an information-rich society. A lot of it is not useful or correct. It’s misleading, or just nonsense. Now we have to add to our workload by researching and sifting through the nonsense to find the truth.

The result? We procrastinate. If something looks like too much work, we put it off. We feel dread at the thought of tackling it. Then comes discouragement or disillusion. As one comedian has said, “There are just too many tabs open in my brain!”

I can relate. I’m an information junkie. I am easily distracted by new information or an interesting story. My dad’s mantra was always, “Look it up!” So I do. That leads to another story, another vignette, another interesting picture. I want to know it all! I love to read and know that when I retire, I’ll spend entire days doing just that.

But that doesn’t get the work done today!

These aren’t the only causes of Overwhelm, but they’re the ones that resonate with me. Other causes include Mongoose Management, or Chaos Management; Manager’s Myopia (shortsightedness); and the need to be a Superhero!! We know that person. They always swoop in to save the day. We let them because we’re in overwhelm and they seem to know what they’re doing…

There are other causes, but what matters are the SOLUTIONS! Here are a few I cover in my programs on this topic:

FOCUS ~ Pay attention to where you are focused and control that. If you’re like me and easily – SQUIRREL! – distracted, try setting a timer and committing to stay focused on one thing for 12 minutes. Then reset the timer and go for another 12. The words I use are, “I will read that while I’m eating dinner and not before…”
FIND SOLUTIONS ~ Too many times we focus on blame. Unless lawyers are going to get involved, is this really important? Recognizing the source of a problem is a good idea. But let it go! Instead, narrow your focus and ask, “What can I do RIGHT NOW to address this? What can I do in an hour? In a week?”
DETACH! If you’ve known me for very long you know this is a biggie. Here’s what I wrote this last New Years Day: “Remember to Detach. Step back from social media, step away from big crowds for a bit. Let go of relatives who make you crazy (love them from afar!) Forget trying to control other people. BREATHE.”
MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES ~ How long do you think you have? Really. How long do you think you’ll get away with making bad choices? Choices have consequences. You’ll never get today back. Choose Wisely. Remember this:

You are the only person who is 100% affected by 100% of the choices you make!

CREATE GOOD HABITS ~ What do you want your life to look like in a year? What habits can you create to get you there? One step at a time. One tiny exercise at a time. One walk with the dog. One change in bedtime. One elimination of another bad habit and replacement with a good one.

You got this.

Tell you what. I can schedule a live Zoom conversation with you and your team called Conquering Overwhelm and Becoming Productive. I’ve kept the price low so you can do this. Everyone who joins us will get access not only to the personalized recording, but also to a gift basket of downloads that will help you as you lower your stress and improve your life. Contact me and let’s get this new Post-Covid life going! This will be great fun, funny, and stress relieving.

See you there!

Contact me here – https://everybodyslost.com/contact-beth/

To your health!

How to Write Better Speeches Faster

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Beth Terry — No Comments ↓

Need to write a speech?

We have a Live Zoom Meeting or In Person Training for you!

Beth Terry How to Write Better Speeches Faster — We can provide this webinar for an individual or for your own team! Contact us to schedule a training program!

Here’s What You’ll Learn

How to use The Pearl Framework to create a speech outline in minutes instead of hours.
A simple analysis tool to quickly determine what your audience needs to hear.
The “Three points and a poem” – an insider’s guide to making your information fresh and memorable.
The Seven Questions that will enable you to write a compelling close that moves your audience to act.

Three things to remember when using humor in any presentation.
A Pro Speaker’s secret to staying on track and avoiding the dreaded tangents
A great little tool for staying within your time guidelines, and why you shouldn’t use your cell phone
One sentence you can say to yourself before getting on stage that will help allay the jitters.

This webinar was recorded. Click on the link above to go to the information page.

Purchase of this webinar includes:

A personalized live recording you can watch unlimited times
The PowerPoint slides
A template for writing all your speeches
A project management form
A needs analysis questionnaire to help you form the main points
A checklist for running a meeting to make sure it’s a success

Contact us and we’ll set up a program for you on Zoom. It lasts about an hour and we’ll take time for questions. If you sign up for a zoom-inar, you can send your speech ahead of time and Beth will work directly with you on that speech.

See you soon!

Blessings,

Beth

Why You Procrastinate and How to Stop

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Beth Terry — No Comments ↓

Are you putting off important projects?

@2019 BethTerry.com — Clutter kills creativity!

One of my favorite cartoonists, John Atkinson summed our propensity to procrastinate with this cartoon

Like most people, I wrestle with priorities. These productivity secrets have helped. Each tip focuses on reducing the clutter blocking creativity and motivation.

Some clutter is normal while you’re living your life. There are two kinds of Clutter, though: Denial Clutter and Creative Clutter. The first is an exercise in avoidance. By not addressing the problems, you bury them under mounds of junk that overwhelm and distract you.

Creative Clutter is the mind sorting through the gargantuan puzzle called Life, pulling it together into a beautiful work of Art.

Choose the second. The first will kill you and destroy your soul.

Clutter drains our energy. Piles of magazines and hundreds of knickknacks split our attention and cause us to lose focus. Our peripheral vision busily catalogs all those possessions in case we need them later.

@ 2019 Beth Terry, Clutter — This scene would overwhelm anyone!

Try this: clear your desktop or table. Put all piles and accessories on the floor behind you. Take the one folder you need and place it in front of you. What do you notice? Do you feel an almost instant rise in your energy levels? I felt this when clearing out holiday decorations. I was reluctant to put anything on the newly cleared surfaces. The clean lines, clear spaces, and uncluttered living areas felt much calmer. I may leave it that way. Salvation Army, here I come!

We have cluttered desks, cluttered computer desktops, and cluttered homes. These pile on top of brain clutter: all those things that bounce around in our brains all day and night, keeping us awake. What to do?

Start with your physical environment

Secret 1: De-clutter Your Physical Environment: Gail Blanke’s book “Throw Out 50 Things” was a huge help in getting me started. I love books and every surface is covered in them. Then there’s the collection of goofy souvenirs I picked up along the way. Gail’s book helped me start the sorting process.

Here’s another motivation: in the past few years I’ve helped sort through the estates of four friends who passed away. It’s a sobering reality check when you realize this little statue meant so much to your friend, but to you, it’s just a giraffe gathering dust.

I sorted through my own things as if I were the Executor of my estate. If something means a lot, but it’s in a box in the shed, maybe it’s time to pass it along to someone who’ll treasure it.

Your Brain Needs De-cluttering too!

Secret 2: De-clutter Your Brain — Dump the mental trash. My regular readers know this is my New Year’s Ritual. I play special music (see Secret 3) and get out a yellow pad. Without stopping, I write down everything that’s upsetting me. I write my worries; my self-recriminations; the internal resentment or anger about situations within and without my control.

This ritual started when I was 30. I’ve found relief in seeing these thoughts on paper. Unnamed and unrecognized resentments can make you sick. Airing them out on paper starts the healing process, releasing them through writing. I commit to writing until there’s nothing left to say; nothing left to feel; nothing left to resent.

But I don’t stop there. I may get up and walk the dog; get away from the “trash list” for a bit. Then I sit down again and focus on one item at a time. Seeing this in writing often makes me giggle. Sometimes I cry at how foolish I’ve been. Sometimes it helps me see a solution. I cross out each line and write a positive affirmation or solution in the space below.

When finished, the positive statements are transcribed onto clean paper. Then, outside to the hibachi with the original trash list! I take a deep breath, and forgive myself for my foolishness. I forgive others who may have been listed there as well. This is the process of Forgive and Remember, not repression. It is finished. Fini. Done. Then I rip the old list to shreds, dropping it into the flames of the hibachi. Enough. Time to move on.

Fatigue comes from cluttered energy

Secret 3: De-clutter your Energy. Imagine if sounds were water. Most of us would drown in the noise surrounding us every day. Since we don’t see it, we adapt to the noise and ignore it. But do we really? Pay attention to the sounds around you. Is the TV on all the time? Is your workplace noisy? Our brains cope by setting it aside, but it’s never gone. As with that stack of papers on your desk, your brain picks up the clutter and uses up precious energy to deal with it. Noisy environments make us tired.

Recently we’ve rediscovered the ancient wisdom of using sound energy at 432Hz and 8Hz as a medium for healing and relaxation. Theories about this vary widely, but I’ve noticed I take deep breaths and feel more creative and relaxed with this music playing. I was challenged with writer’s block today. Then I played this Music to Relax. Within moments I was breathing easier and my brain began churning out ideas to share with you.

If you have pets, here’s a side benefit: when I started playing these harmonies, my very active pup climbed onto my lap and fell asleep!

Listen and see if it works for you. Pachelbel Canon in D is one of the best-known works in 432Hz

To find music that appeals to your tastes, search on 432Hz and you’ll find many options.

Take a little time each day to listen to music that soothes your harried mind. It will do wonders for your ability to get things done. Just as you shower to start your day, this music is like a hot shower for your energy.

To Your Productivity!

Blessings,

What do you need to STOP for the New Year?

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Beth Terry — 4 Comments ↓

Instead of Starting Resolutions – How about knowing what to stop?

@EverybodysLost.com ©BethTerry.com — Sometimes it isn’t what to start, but what to Stop that counts.

Ten days into the new year and people are rushing around starting their New Year’s Resolutions. Friends are eating healthier, the gyms are packed, people with their Fitbits™ are speedwalking past my office as I write this. Is it always about starting? Or is there genius in knowing what to stop?

It’s a heady time, those first weeks of any new year. Everyone is intent upon doing better and being better than last year.

It’s an arbitrary thing, isn’t it? Like I said last post, you can make any day of the year your “New Year.” People going through AA and NarcAnon do it all the time.

How about approaching the rest of the year with a little different focus?

Instead of listing dozens of things you’re resolved to do, focus on three to five things you’ll stop doing. Look with objective eyes at the obstacles in your life. Maybe stop getting in your own way. Maybe stop worrying what others think. You may find a diet is hard, but choosing to stop eating sugar for a month is easier. (I discovered when I stopped sugar and salt for a month I no longer craved them and it was easy to keep that habit going.)

My colleague Marshall Goldsmith did a retrospective several years ago on this idea. If you’re a leader or manager, it’s worth looking at what he has to say. Here’s a short YouTube™ video from him. The essence is quoted above.

Aristotle reminded us more than 2,300 years ago that habits are the most effective pathway to success:

“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, it’s a habit.”

As you pursue your New Year of excellence and success, what habits will you develop? What can you stop? What can you start? Be gentle with yourself. Don’t make a list of 50 things. Small bites work. Challenge yourself a little at a time. You didn’t develop bad habits all at once. You won’t rid yourself of them all at once.

Try this:

Pull out that list of things to do and see if you can change the wording ~

I will lose 10 pounds by April 15. I will stop eating sugar for one month.
I will get more exercise and walk more. I will stop sitting on the couch watching TV for 3 hours a night and start dancing more.
I will spend 3 hours each morning making calls. I will stop relentlessly checking the news and my emails as a way to avoid making those calls.
I will work with my team to increase productivity this year. I will stop micromanaging my team and trust them to do the work I hired them to do.
I will get into the office one hour earlier this year to get my day started before the others arrive. I will stop making a Starbucks run every morning and wasting my time and money in lines for over-sugared bad coffee. (sorry, Starbucks fans! <grin>)

See how this works? Instead of some flowery resolution that means nothing, you are actively attacking the real problem. It’s not that your people are underproductive, it may be that you are overly involved in the details. It’s not that you need to lose weight, it’s that you might want to rethink your sugar intake.

These are mine… what are yours? Let me know your New “New Year’s Resolutions!”

And have a wonderful, productive, happy, healthy, prosperous 2019!

Blessings,

PS – I have openings for three more speech coaching/mentoring clients! Call now! 602-743-9296!

What do you need to STOP for the New Year?

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Beth Terry — 2 Comments ↓

Instead of Starting Resolutions – How about knowing what to stop?

It’s a heady time, those first weeks of any new year. Everyone is intent upon doing better and being better than last year.

It’s an arbitrary thing, isn’t it? Like I said last post, you can make any day of the year your “New Year.” People going through AA and NarcAnon do it all the time.

How about approaching the rest of the year with a little different focus?

Aristotle reminded us more than 2,300 years ago that habits are the most effective pathway to success:

“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, it’s a habit.”

Try this:

Pull out that list of things to do and see if you can change the wording ~

I will lose 10 pounds by April 15. I will stop eating sugar for one month.
I will get more exercise and walk more. I will stop sitting on the couch watching TV for 3 hours a night and start dancing more.
I will spend 3 hours each morning making calls. I will stop relentlessly checking the news and my emails as a way to avoid making those calls.
I will work with my team to increase productivity this year. I will stop micromanaging my team and trust them to do the work I hired them to do.
I will get into the office one hour earlier this year to get my day started before the others arrive. I will stop making a Starbucks run every morning and wasting my time and money in lines for over-sugared bad coffee. (sorry, Starbucks fans! <grin>)

These are mine… what are yours? Let me know your New “New Year’s Resolutions!”

And have a wonderful, productive, happy, healthy, prosperous 2019!

Blessings,

PS – I have openings for three more speech coaching/mentoring clients! Call now! 602-743-9296!

What do you need to STOP for the New Year?

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Beth Terry — 2 Comments ↓

Instead of Starting Resolutions – How about knowing what to stop?

It’s a heady time, those first weeks of any new year. Everyone is intent upon doing better and being better than last year.

It’s an arbitrary thing, isn’t it? Like I said last post, you can make any day of the year your “New Year.” People going through AA and NarcAnon do it all the time.

How about approaching the rest of the year with a little different focus?

Aristotle reminded us more than 2,300 years ago that habits are the most effective pathway to success:

“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, it’s a habit.”

Try this:

Pull out that list of things to do and see if you can change the wording ~

I will lose 10 pounds by April 15. I will stop eating sugar for one month.
I will get more exercise and walk more. I will stop sitting on the couch watching TV for 3 hours a night and start dancing more.
I will spend 3 hours each morning making calls. I will stop relentlessly checking the news and my emails as a way to avoid making those calls.
I will work with my team to increase productivity this year. I will stop micromanaging my team and trust them to do the work I hired them to do.
I will get into the office one hour earlier this year to get my day started before the others arrive. I will stop making a Starbucks run every morning and wasting my time and money in lines for over-sugared bad coffee. (sorry, Starbucks fans! <grin>)

These are mine… what are yours? Let me know your New “New Year’s Resolutions!”

And have a wonderful, productive, happy, healthy, prosperous 2019!

Blessings,

PS – I have openings for three more speech coaching/mentoring clients! Call now! 602-743-9296!

Use These Secrets for a Happy New Year

Posted on January 2, 2019 by — 6 Comments ↓

Common Sense = a Happy New Year

@BethTerry.com 2019 — The Anthem Christmas Tree looks like it’s made of Fireworks!

The old man sat on a bench near the Christmas tree a few days after Christmas. It was apparent he played Santa in one of the big Metro stores nearby. He had an all-knowing look, kind eyes, the requisite white beard, and a gentle laugh that I swore sounded a bit like, “Ho Ho Ho.”

I was taking a break from paperwork and sat in a welcome patch of sun breaking through the clouds. It was colder than usual in the desert, and I tightened my coat around me. He seemed oblivious to the chill in the air.

We sat silently near each other after the cursory greeting of strangers. Startling me out of my reverie, he turned to me, “It’s going to all work out,” he said softly. I laughed and shrugged it off.

“What? What’s going to work out?”

“Whatever is wrinkling that brow of yours.”

I just nodded and looked at the pavement, fighting off tears.

It had been a year since my divorce. I escaped to Phoenix afterwards. New to the desert, I was still trying to find my way in a new life. That elusive concept of “Life Purpose” would peek out from behind bushes and flit away just as I thought I had it. It’s amazing how quickly things can disintegrate, even when we think we have life all figured out. My late father was fond of saying, “Honey, life just isn’t a straight line. Enjoy all your gifts and abundance while you have them. You never know when they will disappear. No guarantees, sweetie. No guarantees.”

The old man continued, “You know all of this. But it looks like you need to hear it again.”

I looked at him and smiled.

You can decide to make any day your “New Year”

“This is your new year. Even if it were the dead of summer, you can decide to make any day your ‘New Year.’ You know that. You also know the five secrets to making it a good new year…”

“I do?” I was now regretting starting this conversation. I grew up as a minister’s kid. Living in my father’s house was like living in a sermon. Every single day. I chuckled to myself and decided to honor this nice man by listening to him.

“Yes. Of course you do. In fact, you probably told all of this to your kids and to anyone else who would listen. So here goes:

“One: Forgive everybody.”

I nodded, “Yeah. I actually wrote that in one of my books.”

He laughed, “I know.”

“How do you…. Oh never mind…”

The old man continued, counting on his fingers:

“Two: Trust and Love yourself,

“Three: Remember to detach,

“Four: Live in Grace,

“Five: Express Gratitude Every Day.”

He slapped his thighs and chuckled. Then he stood up and walked away. Just like that. No further explanation. He was right, I knew this. And so do you. But at the beginning of any New Year, it’s good to remember the simple truths that make Life worth living.

Remember the simple truths

Here are my thoughts on his five secrets…

Forgive everybody. Forgive your self first. Forgive your parents. Forgive clients who didn’t hire you, and the ones who did. Forgive your kids. Forgive your neighbors. Just let it go. Don’t waste your life holding on to grudges and past insults. Most people aren’t cruel, they’re just clueless. Or they’re distracted and not paying all that much attention to you. Forgiving doesn’t mean you let them off the hook. It just means you don’t carry all that weight around with you. How can you move forward dragging the weight of the world? You can’t.

Trust and Love yourself. This should be self-explanatory, but it’s not always easy to do. Social media has made us question our selves and our sanity. Comparing ourselves to online fiction posted by most people makes it hard to trust our own judgment. Here’s a general rule you can follow on social media – It’s All PhotoShopped! So much of what is printed on Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and all the rest is just plain fake. No one looks as good as their Instagram photos. No one had THAT much fun on their vacation. Don’t compare. Look in the mirror and love your imperfect, wacko, not always sane self! Trust your instincts. Your ‘gut’ knows more than you realize.

Take a Deep Breath and DETACH

Remember to Detach. Step back from social media, step away from big crowds for a bit. Let go of relatives who make you crazy (love them from afar!) Forget trying to control other people. BREATHE. The reason you didn’t get my “required” New Years post is I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of all the noise. I was practicing what I preach. Hopefully today you are back to work and able to take a few minutes to read something uplifting!

Live in Grace. It is a natural human thing to be flawed. We are not ever going to be perfect and we shouldn’t try to be. Start by extending grace to yourself. Look at your flaws and see which ones are actually charming, which ones are NBD (no big deal), and which ones can be tweaked slightly to keep you out of trouble. Be grateful for those things that make you unique. Don’t try to model yourself after other people. You don’t know their challenges or their pain. And while you’re at it, extend Grace to others. See # 1.

Express Gratitude Every Day. If you’ve known me for more than a millisecond, you know I say this a lot. It’s one of the things that keeps me from going crazy. When everything seems like it’s falling apart, I stop and look around. I name 10 things I’m grateful for, even if it’s something as mundane as, Thank you ADOT for paved roads. I’m thankful for indoor plumbing (when I was a kid, I stayed on a farm that didn’t have this. I get it!) I’m grateful for my sweet little PugWawa sleeping under my desk. And, most importantly, Thank you God for helping me figure out the next steps in my life!

Happy New Year, @bethterry.com — **Happy New Year!!**

I’ve said a lot of this before. I’m just reminding you to take care of yourself! You deserve to have a wonderful 2019. Detach from 2018. Let it go. Learn the lessons and celebrate the blessings. And write to me to let me know how you’re doing!

Blessings and Happy New Year!

OH – and a huge PS – Listen to me tomorrow (Thursday, January 3) at Noon MST on National Business Radio.

@2019 Beth Terry Events, BethTerry.com

How many?

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Beth Terry — 2 Comments ↓

How Many will it take?

“How many of these?” I was helping a friend with her Holiday store. Peering over the counter I saw a tiny girl, around 5 years old. Her mom was down the aisle shopping for ornaments. The girl held out coins in one hand and clutched small bells in the other.

“How many of these do I give you for these?” She insisted again, shoving the coins towards me.

“Well, if you give me that shiny penny, one of those quarters, and two of those dimes, I think that will be enough,” I pointed to each coin as I said it.

It struck me in that moment how strange and silly our money system is. “Trade me these shiny pieces of metal for these pieces of metal that make noise.” And how easily we accept the contract without giving it much thought.

You are a fast food worker, so we will give you one thousand two hundred of those pennies for every hour you show up to work. You are able to kick a football 50 yards down a grass field? We will give you three billion, two hundred million pennies for 3 years, whether or not you show up to work.

Years ago my new 5 year-old stepdaughter asked me a “How Many?” question. Puzzling over my age, she asked in typical little kid language, “How many Christmases did you had till now?” When I told her, she followed up with, “Well, how many Christmases do you get?”

That stopped me for a moment. It’s a good question. Each Christmas since I’ve wondered, “How many more of these will I get?” Have I celebrated the seasons with enough grace and gratitude? With enough humility and joy at the passing of time and the daily gifts of living in a free country?

How many is an important question.

As a friend loves to point out – “Each of us has a number for everything important in our life.”

I think he means we each have a limit or an expectation. A number in our heads of how many times we will put up with bad behavior. How many times will we stuff our feelings about something that bugs us? How many times will we watch injustice and finally do something about it? How many pounds will we weigh before we decide maybe pushing away from the table is a good exercise routine for the new year? How many cigarettes is too many? How many drinks is too many? And then there’s the money question. How many pennies is “enough” for you to be motivated?

So, what’s your “number?” Why?

It’s a sign of maturity when we’re able to stop playing games and simply do what needs to be done so we can spend a little more time enjoying our lives and our loved ones.

How many “Gratitudes” will it take for you to feel good today?

Maybe the secret to a happy life is to know why your How Many answers are what they are, and then take steps to do something about it.

So, “How many more Christmases will YOU Get?”

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Kwanzaa!

Happy Festivus!

Merry Christmas!

Blessings,

—–> BIG PS ——-> LISTEN IN TODAY (DECEMBER 20) at 12:12 PM AZ time to hear Beth on the Radio – Dial in online to www.NBRFM.com/studio2

Thanks Giving and Receiving

Posted on November 21, 2018 by — No Comments ↓

Are you good at Receiving Thanks?

Today I thanked several people for their contributions to my life. The answers?

“Oh, it was nothing…”
“No big deal.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”

I want to shake them and remind them that it’s a ripoff to not accept someone’s compliment or thanks. Let me be grateful for you, Dangit!

Here’s a thought… my grandma used to say, “Accepting someone’s gratitude with grace is the 11th commandment.”

So when someone compliments you, thanks you, appreciates you, and acknowledges the joy and blessing you are in their life… Just Say, “You’re Welcome!”

The human condition is such that we need to practice day-to-day civilities as much as possible. There’s too much trouble in the world. Too many grumpy and thin-skinned people. Too many people who make a hobby out of being offended and annoyed. ENOUGH.

Gratitude is a two-way street. It’s healthy. It opens you up for more abundance and joy in your life. And at the end of the day it sure feels a lot better than being a grouch and a grinch all day. I recently did seminars on Life Balance in Hawaii and created a page for my attendees. I’ll share it here in the spirit of Thanksgiving, because I’m Thankful for YOU.

In keeping with the theme of gratefulness this Holiday Season, let’s start showing more gratitude for the gifts that have been bestowed upon us, and when someone acknowledges the gift we are to them, acknowledge it back.

Ok, I just needed to say all of that. I want your life to be better than you ever thought it could be.

Go enjoy your Turkey…

Thanks to SoundBible.com for the sound that sent

my Chihuahua running to the door!

Blessings,