From the Desk of Janet Barclay

Someone sent me this very inspiring poem:

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You’d better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say "Hi"?
You’d better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift….
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Unfortunately, along with the poem came a claim that it was written by a young girl with a terminal illness and that the American Cancer Society will donate 3 cents for every person it is forwarded to. This is of course false, as are most (if not all) of such claims (which I’ve blogged about before), but the poem itself was too good not to share.

If you receive this type of message and feel compelled to share it with your friends, please just forward the poem or story or post it on your blog, and delete all the nonsense. As stated on the website BreakTheChain.org:

"… the first step to reducing the amount of junk out there is to stop sending it yourself."

I was sad to hear about the recent passing of George Carlin. Of course, I didn’t know him personally, but I have thoroughly enjoyed his comedy for decades. I have even quoted him in some of my organizing seminars!

That’s what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.

Sometimes you gotta move, gotta get a bigger house. Why?

No room for your stuff any more.

If you’re not familiar with that routine, take a few minutes to watch this video!

"Blessed are we who can laugh at ourselves, for we shall never cease to be amused."

Author Unknown

I recently had the pleasure of reading Love Every Leaf, The Life of Landscape Architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander by Kathy Stinson. Perhaps you are wondering what interest the stepmother of two grown children might have in reading a biography written primarily for young people, and why this particular book - unless of course you already know that the author is my sister, and one of my clients. While she was writing this book, to maximize the use of her time, she had me conduct some of the research into the historical background, and I was very eager to see how she wove these facts into the story. That in itself was quite exciting to me personally.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, maybe you’re wondering why I’ve decided to write about this in my blog. Why would this book interest you, as a small business owner? Well, let me tell you!

While studying landscape architecture at Smith College nearly 70 years ago, Cornelia learned "3 P’s" that would benefit any of us to keep in mind:

1. Be Patient. People often need time to come round to your way of thinking.
2. Be Persistent. Stand up for what you know is right.
3. Be Polite. People are more likely to be convinced by your arguments if you present them in a pleasant manner.

During her impressive career, she added two more "Ps" to her arsenal which also contributed to her success. Can you guess what they were? If not, I highly recommend that you read Love Every Leaf! In addition to finding the answer to this question; you’ll be fascinated to learn about this amazing woman who has contributed so much to the world, and continues to do so in her 80s.

*This post was featured in the Virtual Assistant/Home Business Blog Carnival #4 

I received these wonderful words of wisdom by email, and when I went online to try and learn the origin, all I found were other blogs where the writer had similarly received them by email. So I’ll do the same, but I like to give credit where credit is do, so if you know where this originally came from, please let me know!

 1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

 2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

 3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

 4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to __________ today.’

 5. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

 6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.

 7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

 8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

 9. Dream more while you are awake.

 10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

 11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

 12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

 13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

 14. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

 15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

 16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

 17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

 18. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

 19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

 20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

 21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

 22. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

 23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

 24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

 25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’

 26. Forgive everyone for everything.

 27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

 28. Remember God heals  everything.

 29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

 30. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

 31. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

 32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

 33. The best is yet to come.

 34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

 35. Do the right thing!

 36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)

 37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

 38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

 39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

 40. Please forward this to everyone you care about.  (or share it on your blog - I just did!)

 May your troubles be less,

May your blessings be more,

May nothing but happiness come through your door!

 How many of things do you do - honestly? Why not put this list somewhere where you can read it often and remind yourself that despite what life throws at you, there is always something you can do to make things better.

Today I’m going to introduce you to one of my newest clients, Ariane Benefit, of Neat & Simple. Ariane started her own business in 1993 after a long and successful corporate career. No one was more surprised than she was when she was diagnosed last year with ADD. Like many of us, she had always assumed that people with ADD are unreliable, can’t sit still or focus on tasks, and never accomplish anything.

Ariane has learned that ADD is not that obvious. She says it’s kind of like having back pain - you can’t see it, but it sure makes it hard for you to walk, and you find a way to do it anyway.  She is amazed at the number of people who thought her achievements came to her so easily, but for her, it was a painful struggle that she worked very hard to conceal.  She has said that for almost every project she finishes, she probably has at least two that are unfinished, as well as countless new ideas, and as her virtual assistant, I can confirm that this is true! Sometimes it can be challenging to work with her, but because she has been open and honest with me about her ADD since day one, I’ve come to understand that a lot of what we’re doing is brainstorming, and that I shouldn’t try to get a clear picture of what my assignment is until the conversation is reaching a close and decisions have actually been made.

To learn more about Ariane’s experience and how she has learned to thrive despite the challenges of ADD, please read her blog post, How I Survived My Life with Undiagnosed Adult ADD and Learned to THRIVE!  If you know, work with or live with someone else who has successfully overcome ADD, I’m sure she would love to hear about it.

If you’re struggling with ADD or another challenge, whether it is physical, emotional, or mental, just remember that you too can overcome it and be successful, just like Ariane and many others have done.