It's Never Too Late

How many times do we put things off? We make excuses to convince ourselves that it is okay to wait another day, days, weeks or longer. We often spend more time trying to justify the excuses than the time and effort it would take to make a decision. I have been guilty of postponing decisons or choices. A year ago this month, I made a life changing decision to eat healthier and exercise daily. High cholesterol was the major factor in my decison. In my opinion, I am too young to be on cholesterol meds and knew I didn't want to remain on that path any longer. So, I made a major change. It has not been easy but with lots of self discipline it is my new way of life. A better, healthier me makes life more enjoyable not only for myself but for my family. Remember IT IS NEVER TOO LATE! Whatever you are postpoing doing, don't delay any longer. It could be eating healthier, exercising, going back to college, changing jobs or reconnecting a relationship just to name a few.

I follow Joel Osteen on facebook. Recently he posted this quote, "There are times you will be given intuition, you just know something and you can't explain it. Don't override it. Don't talk youself out of it. That's the Creator giving you inside information." I think this quote can tie in with it's never too late. We talk ourselves out of making decisions or choices that we truly want to happen but delay. Is it because we are scared of what? what others may think? of failing?  Often we feel a burning desire within us that drives choices or decisions we make. Did you ever stop and think that the burning desire is the "inside information"? You will never know until you try (or decide) and if you don't try then you will always wonder "what if". Failing is not the end of the world but often we perceive it to be. Can't never did anything.  I am missing out on ______________ because I keep delaying. Fill in the blank according to your situation. Listen to your "inside information". Stand firm. Know IT'S NEVER TOO LATE.

Thank A Lineman

Today is National Lineman Appreciation Day. On this day linemen are recognized publicly in the media. I am partial to this occupation since I work in the utility industry. No I am not a lineman but I can share with you what I do know about the linemen I am privileged to work with as a team. Linemen (or often today called Line Techs) are unique and special individuals that are very passionate about their jobs. Actually, it is not just a job to them. It is a way of life. They may put their boots on like the rest of us but only if they are steel toed. They are required to wear personal protective equipment such as rubber sleeves and gloves that make working on the most humid, hottest summer days even more unbearable but working safe is priorty for them. Their jobs are often dangerous but with proper safety procedures and protection they work safely. Outages require them to leave their families during the day, night, holidays and weekends. Birthday parties, school plays, anniversay dinners and Christmas morning have been missed because that lineman was restoring power. Most people have no clue the sacrifices linemen make but their familes know. I have heard stories from family members of linemen. A daughter of a retired lineman told me that she remembers as a child her dad leaving during a big snow and not coming home for several days. There were no cell phones back then so he would call home when he was near a phone to let them know he was okay. Times have changed but spouses, children, parents and even bosses still worry when their lineman or employees are out working. I have seen: the tiredness on their faces after days of working to restore power, arriving back at the office with not a dry thread on because they were working out in a thunderstorm, their faces red and chapped from the wind and cold, hungry (not starving) because they did not take time to stop and eat. It was more important for them to get that last customer's lights on than to grab a sandwhich. I could keep listing just what I have witnessed or heard but I am certain there is much more. In my opinion, linemen give a new meaning to dedication and perseverance.  

If you know a lineman please take time to tell them thanks for all they do. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness. I am honored and proud to work with a fantasic group of dedicated linemen!! I am also privileged to have worked with linemen which are now retired and to have friends that are linemen near and far. Thank each one of you for going above and beyond keeping the lights on. The next time you experience a power outage please remember the sacrifies that others make so that we can have the luxury of flipping a switch. Thank A Lineman!

Be Safe!

It's More Than a Small Valley

If you are facebook worthy, then you know that the Wounded Warrior Outdoors is hosting a turkey hunt in this area. With that being said, it makes me extremely proud of this small town that I call home. The outpouring of support from this community is outstanding. There is no way it can compare to another small town community, in my opinion. There are so many folks that work behind the scenes with the WWO program which is strictly all volunteers. There is so much cooking and baking going on in this town while the WWO are here that there has to be a shortage at the local groceries. The amount of food brought in for these guys is overwhelming. Yes, so you read I have done my share of sampling. No need in hurting the "many" cooks feelings by not sampling the goods. Kudos to each one of them. As I visit with this group of folks, I hear so many comments on how this community is so kind, caring, giving, hospitable and etc. 

I know during the 2009 ice storm this community pulled together. I was completely astounded by the support they provided for the co-op. It was truly unbelievable the volunteers that worked helping to cook and serve hundreds of linemen until all the power was restored and for that I will always be grateful. When the going gets ruff in these parts, the tuff get going and just let one person step up and say, hey so and so's barn was damaged in that storm last week or we need to feed a group of soldiers for a week, then watch out, work is in progress. It doesn't matter the task, let it be told around the table during morning coffee at the Coon Dog Inn and things get hopping. Phones start ringing, grocery list get started or other supply list begin depending on the task at hand. Networking is amazing and even more amazing what ideas transpire over cup of coffee at the local restaurant of course that is not where all of the ideas originate. I will add there are some ideas that probably do not need to be repeated during that cup of coffee (only my guess of course haha). I shall not give that group all of the credit. It is part of living in a small town. Where we all know each other or are related (like it or not). Most were born and raised in this small town. Yes, news travels fast but there is not as many folks to share it with but good or bad I wouldn't trade this town for any other place. We know who are neighbors are. We look out for each other. We take food to someone that is sick. We give food and clothes to strangers in need passing through town. We don't like others talking about our town. We don't like outsiders coming on our turf disrupting our way of life (like a new road). We like to share our gardens, sow our seeds and reap our harvest. We love our community, our Country and God. I better get off my soapbox before I fall off. Sure I am partial of this small town but I have every reason to be. It is my home. It's my kids home. It's my families home. It was my grandparents and great grandparents home and their parents.  It is the best place on earth to be. I think often we take for granted the way of life we have in this community. We have something that many folks will never know or never have; We have a small valley with a big heart. It doesn't get any better than this folks and if you think it does then try visiting NYC. I enjoy visiting other places but there is truly no place like home, no place like small communities, no place like Fredonia. 

Blessed By A Vet....Humbled

The Wounded Warrior Outdoors Spring Turkey hunt is taking place around the Valley this weekend and all week. I was blessed with the opportunity to share an amazing lunch with real American heroes! It is always a humbling experience to sit around the table breaking bread with individuals that actually put their life in harms way, so that you and I can continue to have our Freedom. As soon as I arrived at the hunting camp, the smell of Nicky & gang cooking ribeye and chicken certainly grabbed my attention but as soon as I got out of the vehicle a friendly Veteran rolled over in his wheel chair to greet me. I had never met this gentleman on any of the other Wounded Warrior Outdoor events. This was his first time to hunt Turkey in our area. Instantly, we became friends and the conversation was on. He was blessed with the gift of gab, like me. I am not going to mention his name although he probably wouldn't mind. I will say he is a triple amputee but has an amazing attitude. We talked about a multitude of things and somehow got off on the subject how kids react to someone that "looks" different. He said it is just human nature for kids to stare at someone that may look different. He shared a story with me that will stick with me forever. He told that when his daughter (who is now 24) was in Kindergarten came home from school one day crying because some kids said her daddy didn't have any legs. The teacher called that afternoon, speaking to his wife, asking if he would come to school and speak to the class. The wife quickly said, yes of course without even consulting him (he laughed as he told this part to me, he was at work and had no clue he had been volunteered for the school visit). He went to school and as the kids were staring at him they kept their distance. He told the class that just because he looked different on the outside, he was the same on the inside like any other person. He asked the kids, what if they lost their two front teeth wouldn't it be hard to eat an apple? Most nodded or said yes. Then he said it would be easier to eat if mommy or daddy would cut the apple up into small pieces, right? The kids (still staring) nodded or said yes. He said I am no different. Just because I have no legs, one arm and a partial arm, I often need help doing things too like cutting up particular foods. Once he shared this with the kids, he said they all moved in closer to him and was touching his wheelchair, wanting to push buttons and there was never another issue about it again. He also went on to say that just opened a gate for the kids to ask questions and boy they were not shy at all then. Wow is what I say! My mind was blogging for a moment, as I continued to stand beside him talking as he showed me his customized truck (it was very cool). Yes he drives! I said you know it is amazing what folks can have with the technology of today (lots of gadgets on his truck). I said you are not limited due to such inventions in today's world. He said no, I am not limited. The entire time we spoke he smiled. 

I was just the person taking coolers of ice to the camp in hopes to see some returning WWO friends, make new friends and of course eat some delicious food.  Here I had never laid eyes on this man before but he was placed in my path today, April 12, 2014, to bless me. And what a blessing I received from him.  His attitude was fantastic. His outlook on life was positive. Sure he may be physically challenged in someways but his spirit to live life with out restrictions touched my heart. I have no reason to complain ever again about anything. I am blessed beyond what I deserve. We are all blessed and if you don't think you are then Whoa! If you are breathing, then you are blessed. I think we take so much for granted, like being able to eat an apple with out assistance, that we do not appreciate even the smallest or simplest things in life. The next time you eat an apple, I hope that you remember this story and do two things: one, be thankful for your blessings and two, thank a Veteran or someone active in the military. They certainly do not get the recognition or the thanks they so greatly deserve in my opinion. From the bottom of my heart Thank You for defending our red, white and blue and all that it stands for in this land we call the home of the free and brave. No I am not going to bust out singing the Star-Spangled Banner (lucky for you) but I will say that every time I hear it played, I get goose bumps. Yes, every single time. 

If you would like more information on Wounded Warrior Outdoors go to www.woundedwarrioroutdoors.com and you can follow WWO on Facebook. Be ready to receive a blessing from WWO; the leaders, participants and others associated with this group. 

Weeding Out The Garden

Trust is a complex subject for me. In my opinion, their are levels of trust. We have all experienced broken trust at some point in our lives. Even at a young age we learn trust issues. I can only speak with regards to my experiences with that being said, trusting someone completely is hard for me due to previous broken trust with individuals. To open yourself up to someone revealing all the components of your very being takes courage and trust. I can look back on situations when I trusted friends that didn't turn out to be real friends, previous co-workers that defied my trust for their own benefit and even family members. Situations like this brand scars within us and causes us to build up walls against the outside world. It keeps us from completely trusting others. I have taken these experiences, utilizing them still today as learning tools. If you have people in your life that you trust completely, then you have treasures. Folks like this are few are far between in my opinion. I am blessed with some awesome people in my life.  Over the years I have weeded out my garden of life to reflect only the strongest, brightest and most trusting flowers. I desire to be around people that bring out the best in me and that make me want to be a better person. These individuals encourage, support and love me at my best and at my worst. In return I provide encouragement, support and love to them. Sometimes we have to let go of situations or people that bring us down. Regardless of how long you have known someone, if that person drains you emotionally then something is wrong. Pull that weed and move on. Life is too short to hold on to stinky weeds.  Surround yourself with only the best flowers in your garden of life but make sure that you are one of the best flowers in their garden too. Only you can define your levels or definition of trust. It takes longer to build trust than it does to break it. Be a trusting, steady, strong flower in all of the gardens that you sow. 

Yesterday's Decision Becomes Too Late For Today

"The only things in life that you regret are the risk you didn't take so when you see something you want grasp it with both hands and run with it", words from a dear friend. A little blog help from friends is fantastic. I love feedback and sharing ideas. Recently a friend shared with me about regret and risk which I have touched on the subject before but there is always something to be said about both. Have you ever been shopping and there was an item you wanted but you passed buying it right then. Then you went back the next day or a couple days later to buy it and it was gone. This may not be the best example but how often have you passed up something then changed your mind only to find out it was too late. Then you mentally beat yourself up saying, I should've, I wish I had of, why didn't I? etc. (of course we don't go that overboard by passing up at deal at TJ Maxx). But often when we procrastinate, yesterday's decison becomes too late for today.  Perhaps you had an opportunity to change positions, departments or even careers but you waited to long missing the opportunity. You missed a chance because you did not take the risk. Life is about taking risk. We ultimately have to take risk in order to move forward. Risk are taken every day without realizing it. Some risk are minimal while others are extreme. In my opinion, I think we are scared to take chances because we lack faith in ourselves and we are fearful of the unknown. We allow fear to trample our heart's desires. We've all heard sayings like, "You don't know until you try" and "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today". When you pass up an opportunity within your grasp, to be ALL yours for the taking because you were scared to take a chance, fear just controled your future. What if we take a leap of faith and things do not turn out like we anticipated, it happens? Does that limit you from living? No it shouldn't but often we allow failure to mingle with fear which is not a good combination. What if we take that chance and it changes our life for the better? I have seen individuals take great risk and succeed. I admire their courage and faith. Maybe we need to toughen up and grab the bull by the horns. Be fearless, take more risk and see what the future holds. Stop dipping your toes in the pool of wonder, just dive in head first or hold your nose if you must but jump in!! Stop standing on the edge thinking about it, JUST DO IT! 

Hope too Small.........Hope too Big

My mind is constantly picking up on "blog worthy info" as I call it. I carry pen and paper with me so when a blog idea hits me, I jot it down but in this case I used a gum wrapper for a tablet. I wrote on the wrapper, "hope too small".  As our pastor mentioned that in his sermon, I had a blog thought. We often do hope too small and why do we limit ourselves? We are the ones that mainly set our limits. We should hope BIG, exceeding all expectations. Really, there should be no limits if we set our hearts and minds to whatever we are seeking to do. As the saying goes, "The sky is the limit".  Are you holding back because you are hoping too small? Let go of the reigns, stop being limited and shoot for the stars. I think we hope to small sometimes because we are scared to take a giant step forward. Baby steps are easier and more comfortable for us so that is the pace we set for ourselves. Yes, giant steps are more challenging and cause us to be a little scared.  Any time we step out of our comfort zone we feel an uncertainty. Stepping out on faith and believing in ourselves is often all we truly can do. Sometimes it works in our favor and sometimes it doesn't. For all the times we succeed by doing so, we say it was worth it. For all of the times we are unsuccessful, we should still say it was worth it because we learned from that experience.

Are you limiting yourself by hoping too small? Is there something you desire to do but are scared to hope BIG and jump out of your comfort zone? You are the only one holding yourself back. Let me tell you this. I have been holding back pursuing a master's degree. I have been talking about going back to school, talking myself out of it, talking around it and so on for months now. I finally just took the plunge, applied and was accepted. So the journey begins in July and yes I have nothing else to do (haha) so why am I going back to school? again? It is something I am passionate about doing, a personal goal and I desire to be a better leader. I believe that by seeking a MA in organization leadership it will make a contribution to my team by developing me into a better leader. I think of it as taking one of the team. I know all about taking giant steps and stepping out on faith. If I can do it, you can too. It doesn't matter how busy you are or how busy you think you are, the sky has no limit. It's up to you to soar with the eagles or not. Personally, I prefer to soar. It's a much better view. I like to hope too BIG. Whatever you are contemplating on doing but are scared to jump out of your comfort zone, GO FOR IT! We are all guilty of limiting ourselves and our expectations so therefore I am certain there is something you are "hoping to small" about. Try "hoping too BIG" and see what happens. 

Kissing Frogs.....Meanwhile Back at The Pond

While out with friends, the picture attached of me kissing a frog evolved. We were being silly, laughing and having a great time hanging out which was over due. If you aren't familiar with The Frog Prince by Brothers Grimm, it is a short story about a Princess and a frog. The frog slept on her bed and ate off her plate for 3 nights, breaking a curse turning the frog back into a Prince. No where did I read about any kissing taking place in this particular story.  (http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/FrogPrin.shtml) Throughout my years I have always heard the saying, "that a girl may have to kiss a lot of frogs until she finds her Prince."  I lol at that acutally. Hey it could apply to you guys too. You may need to kiss a lot of frogs to find your Princess. In reference to "a lot of frogs", it made me think about how sometimes we have to make mulitple changes until we find what works for us. For example, it could be that you change postions at work or even change jobs. Maybe the change is not as drastic such as changing your schedule around to make more time for your family, friends and yourself. It could be as simple as taking time to make a call or send a text. All of the above require making a change or more than one change. 

Leaders often have to move team members around for the betterment of the team. No one person is alike so in saying that seek to find strengths in each person. Then tapp into those strengths by making sublte adjustments which could be a key factor in team performance and production. There may need to be mutiple changes or shuffling around until each team member is placed in a position where they excell the most adding value to themselves and the team. So kissing frogs to me is not about smooching gross, slimy frogs until one turns into a Prince (not happening). It is about going through a process of wearing different hats until you find the one that fits perfect so to speak. Find what works for you. Tap into your strengths, seek to grow and develop them. If you are a leader, you should be striving to grow and develop your team. Sure there are self motivated team members that require little or no encouragement but there are some that need a nudge and then there are ones that need shove. Diversity can be challenging. It can be like putting frogs in a wheelbarrow.  Personally, I would rather try the wheelbarrow experiment than the kissing experiment when it comes to frogs. 

I'm not saying go kiss a handful of frogs but think about how it may take multiple changes in order for you to get where you desire to be in your professional career or personal life. Don't sit on the pond bank waiting. Get up and get busy before opportunity passes you by or you fall in the pond. Well, what are you waiting on?