January 2009 Blog Posts (9)

Enough, already!

Enough with the bad news! Enough with the "global meltdown," the jobless rates, the lay-offs, the bankruptcies, the dire projections. "You think it's bad now," the pundits say, "wait!" The word, "crisis" must be used thousands of times a day in every single medium. I was at a small economic roundtable discussion the other night that was so profoundly depressing that half way through the session, a woman seated next to me leaned over and said, "So, when do they hand out the razor blades?" I left… Continue

Added by Gail Blanke on January 29, 2009 at 1:29pm — 1 Comment

Let's do it!

Do you ever hear yourself say, "Well, let's just wait and see what happens"? Or, "I think I'll just wait til the dust settles - or at least until the other shoe drops"? Or, how about "for there to be light at the end of the tunnel"? Forget it. Here's today's news: This isn't a movie you're watching called "My Life" where you just kick back with a bag of popcorn and wait to see what happens next. This is it. You're the writer, producer, director and star of this work of art. And you get to… Continue

Added by Gail Blanke on January 19, 2009 at 4:47pm — No Comments

Progress? Report

Well, I wish I could say that I have managed to stick to the plan 100%. Still, the week was not a total bust. I have kept the kitchen clean and neat and the bathroom moderately clean and neat. And may I say it is a true pleasure to walk into the kitchen (and bath) in the morning and not see piles of dirty dishes or empty milk cartons and other old food wrappers/containers scattered around, spills all over the counters, garbage overflowing, etc. It's made me feel like a new woman!

My… Continue

Added by Mary Kip on January 17, 2009 at 1:37pm — 2 Comments

Move the Garbage Aside

Gail,

My presentation was simply amazing! I actually got a standing ovation...all 130 people!! And I was funny!

I would never have agreed to give the presentation, and I would never have been so successful if it were not for my time with you. You transformed my perspective and confidence in so many ways, not to mention the many, many tricks you taught me about presentation when I walk into a room, presentation in front of an audience, and presentation in individual… Continue

Added by DR on January 16, 2009 at 10:55am — 1 Comment

A New Year, a New Me

At least that's the plan. I don't like to think of them as resolutions, because that's too "ordinary" and resolutions are too easily broken. I will call them life changes. Anyway, here are mine:

1. Clear out the clutter and make my home an oasis of serenity and joy.

2. Lose the excess weight that is dragging me down emotionally and causing me physical pain.

3. Write a novel and submit it for publication.

4. Exercise regularly, including cardio… Continue

Added by Mary Kip on January 11, 2009 at 4:39pm — 1 Comment

Edit!

I don't think there's a more important skill to master in today's world than the ability to edit out the noise, the mayhem, the debilitating debris of daily life. You just can't listen to everything - or even attend to everything. It's simply too much. One way to "edit out" is by turning off the TV when there's a news piece that disturbs, disgusts or deeply saddens you. There are some words or images that I just don't want to wake up in the middle of the night thinking about. I'm sure you feel… Continue

Added by Gail Blanke on January 11, 2009 at 11:21am — No Comments

15 things almost gone!

I just got rid of a bunch of stuff about a year ago, so I can't believe I still have so much to cull, but I'm moving in 2-3 months so I would like to move with only what I actually use rather than moving with storage bins.

Here's my tally:

For the battered women's shelter to help women moving out:

1 coffee maker

Dishes - Service for eight

1 indoor grill

Several unopened boxes of tea flavors I didn't like

Several unopened bags of pumpkin… Continue

Added by k2andrews on January 9, 2009 at 11:00pm — 1 Comment

You helped me turn my life around!!!!!

Gail,

First and foremost - thanks for everything you've done for me. Please read on and you'll see exactly what I mean.

During the Fall of 2008 - my professional career (Copy Manager for a Fortune 150 company - sounds good but was actually quite unfulfilling) was going nowhere and my goals of becoming a published author took a hit, as a children's book I had written was rejected by Harper Collins - even after the publisher at one of their imprints asked for the… Continue

Added by Ben L. on January 7, 2009 at 8:38pm — 1 Comment

Making it Happen in 2009!

Okay, it's one thing to say, as we all have, "Thank goodness 2008 is over. Boy, I sure hope 2009 is better. I mean, it has to be, right?" And quite another thing to take the bull by the horns and make it - 2009 - everything we want it to be. Look, this isn't the kind of year we want to leave up for grabs, right? Not after what we've been through. And the good news is that, although bad stuff happens that is totally outside of our control, there's a lot of good stuff we can create if we actually… Continue

Added by Gail Blanke on January 5, 2009 at 1:13pm — No Comments