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"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer."

-Leonardo DaVinci

As the weekend approaches we, here at Simple Truths, find ourselves in weather a bit colder than last weekend. The realization that winter has arrived is undeniable! What do you have this weekend? No doubt with the holiday season on our heels, you are quite busy!

Today, to give you a quick encouragement, I would like to share a picture with you. The season for flowers has passed, and about the only green living thing around here right now is grass. So, I thought it might be appropriate to throw a splash of color to complement the scene outside, even if these wildflowers are only on your computer screen:

I wish you the best this weekend, and that you might have some time to stop and smell the flowers in your life!

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Today we celebrate Veteran's Day by thanking those who have sacrificed and still do so for our freedom. I, personally, am reminded of classmates and friends who have voluntarily committed years of their lives to ensure that I can continue to experience the safety and independence I currently enjoy. I admit that I take their service for granted... so that is why I am encouraged by Lt. Gen. Hal Moore. As Mac shared on Monday, we were honored to be visited by Lt. Gen. Hal Moore in September of last year, and even more honored to publish his life and realizations in our book A Tender Warrior: 5 Leadership Lessons to America. His desire to bring his soldiers home alive was only equaled by his dedication to peace after the war. Please enjoy the movie summary to the General's book:

As Mac wrote before, war is an unfortunate consequence of the world in which we live, and it is incumbent upon us to seek out peace. Standing in the gap between the world we live in now and the peaceful world we desire are the service men and women of the military. We are blessed to have people like Hal Moore, who fight to protect innocent people and preserve ideals, yet at the same time care deeply about reconciliation between enemies. Let's remember them today, and instead of simply talking about how much we appreciate them, let us live out that sentiment by writing to our friends and relatives in the field. Or, if you do not personally know anyone, here are some sites that can connect you with a soldier:

http://www.anysoldier.com/WhereToSend/

http://soldiersangels.org/letter-writing-team.html

http://www.amillionthanks.org/

http://letterstosoldiers.org/site/

As Veteran's Day approaches, I'm reminded of the brave men and women who sacrifice home, family, and comfort to serve in our nation's military. War is not glamorous, and I can only imagine the inner strength of those who endure great suffering on behalf of their country.

Last year, I had the privilege of meeting one of our nation's greatest military heroes, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore. I had read General Moore's moving books, We Were Soldiers Once...and Young and A General's Spiritual Journey, and I had seen the movie about his life, but nothing could prepare me for the amazing experience of meeting General Moore in person. His kindness, humility, and passion for life and people were incredible. When he visited our office to discuss publishing a book with Simple Truths, he insisted on meeting everyone in the office. At 86 years old, he carried himself with a liveliness and joy rarely seen in people of any age.

I was so honored to be able to publish General Moore's book A Tender Warrior: 5 Leadership Letters to America. I would like to share some of the wisdom contained in that book with you here:

When the blood of any war soaks your clothes, covers your hands, and soldiers die in your arms, every breath forever more becomes an appeal for a greater peace, unity and reconciliation between nations. The place was the far western Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam, on the Cambodian Border. The dates were November 14-16, 1965. I was the commander of my air cavalry troopers and accountable for them. We charged the enemy with bayonets fixed to our rifles in face-to-face combat. As we attacked, bullets were flying everywhere, like bees around a nest. Most of the bullets passed us by--many did not! As we charged, bayonets ended lives up close and personal. We looked the enemy in the eye, often only a foot or two away. You see and feel the instant loss of life that you have inflicted. You see and feel the loss of life of your own soldiers. I still see the boots of my dead sticking out unnaturally from under their ponchos, laces tied one last time by their precious fingers. I still carry the wounded to the helicopters as they bleed, die silently, or scream and beg to live one more day . . . and I still hold those who die in my arms, with their questioning eyes, as some called for their mothers. Their eyes go blank and my war-crusted fingers close their eyelids, knowing a terrible truth that will devastate a family back home in America when that terrible telegram arrives within 36 hours. I still hear the ugly noise of war.

General Moore finishes this letter with an appeal to all of us:

"When the heartbeat of one soldier stops forever, the heartbeat of our nation should accelerate. It should drive us to ensure that this life was not sacrificed in vain. It should rouse us to seek better ways to understand and deal with international differences."

Even as we remember and honor our nation's great heroes, let us not forget to strive for peace as a nation and in our own lives. War is a terrible reality in our broken world, but as General Moore reminds us, it is not the only reality. We must hold these two ideas in tension--respecting the great sacrifice of our military heroes and seeking a more peaceful world. Hatred of war can never lead to neglect of our dear veterans. This Veteran's Day, may we all make a point of thanking the veterans in our lives. If you don't know any personally, write a letter to a soldier using one of the following websites:

http://www.anysoldier.com/WhereToSend/

http://soldiersangels.org/letter-writing-team.html

http://www.amillionthanks.org/

http://www.letterstosoldiers.org/formletter.html

Today we are pleased to welcome a local web celebrity, Shawna Lee Coronado! A successful online entrepreneur specializing in green lifestyle living, Shawna Lee Coronado is also an author, locally syndicated newspaper columnist, blogger, energetic speaker, and environmental and health correspondent. Shawna's business experience has helped her spread the positive health and simple living message she is so passionate about; she has readers in over 22 countries, over 10,000 followers on Twitter, appeared on national media, and is about to launch an international business built on "Making a Difference" for community on a global scale. Shawna was gracious enough to write about her journey to find the American Dream, and after you are done reading please go to http://shawnacoronado.com/ to learn more about Shawna's inspiring message.

What is the American Dream? In my mind one phrase stands out - "the pursuit of happiness." Many feel that living the American Dream is living wealthy; gathering an ever increasing pile of toys, things, and stuff which represents personal achievement and happiness. Yet, when you learn that over three billion humans – almost half the people in the world - live on less than $2.50 per day, you begin to see that "stuff" is ridiculously unimportant.

In fact, poverty on our globe is so predominant, an estimated 25,000 children die each day due to poverty and nearly a billion people entered the 21st century without the ability to read a book or even sign their names. Why, then, do we as Americans demand and crave so much all of the time? The pressure we put on ourselves to obtain more wealth, more stuff, more happiness has led to a society suffering from illness caused by stress.

Indeed, this mindset nearly killed me. In 1997, I was a single mother. Success and happiness were my personal goals and I, like millions of us every day, felt it had more to do with wealth and "stuff" than with personal satisfaction. However, stress was causing both my physical and emotional health to spiral out of control. Each day was controlled by chronic bronchitis and migraine headaches brought on by allergy triggered sinus infections and extreme stress. High blood pressure, constant back and head pain, as well as weekly doctor and emergency room visits were the norm. Insisting that my health was outside of my control, I demanded the doctors cure me with a pill, yet nothing worked.

Rebuilding my family became an important life-step. I remarried in 1999, and together with my husband purchased a home and continued to enjoy a six figure income. Although I grew up on a farm, it was not until the spring of 2002, at age 36, that I finally built a garden. Discovering nature was joyful and motivating. It made me feel better than ever. Surprised, I learned that happiness was not always about money.

Continuing to work long hours, my health worsened and I was diagnosed with a severe and life-threatening case of anemia. My asthma exploded as well, and one day I collapsed on the ground unable to breathe. When my boss demanded I spend more time at the office, I knew my life had to change or I was going to die. I walked off the job and never looked back. Riding home that day, I finally realized what my priorities were in life. It was not stress, or money, or stuff; it was love, and life, and family.

From that day on, nature became my refuge and allowed me to take control of my health. Blood pressure lowered, muscles strengthened, and I felt better emotionally as well as physically. Neighbors hired me to help them with gardening and simple living. Writing was the next step, and I soon became a locally syndicated newspaper columnist. Since the day I left my stressful job years ago, I have completely changed my life. My loved ones and health are the greatest parts of my life. Having a perfect house, lots of money, and lots of toys is not.

One day I opened my back gate and realized I had sixty feet of public walking path which thousands of people pass by every week. This inspired me to transition from gardening exclusively for myself, to building a community garden for my neighbors. Every time I walk out beyond the fence, I am rewarded with hugs. My neighbors are appreciative of my efforts and leave me love letters and gifts. Connecting with the community has made a powerful impression on me and now the garden stretches over two hundred feet and has taken over my neighbor's property as well.

Making a difference within my community soon became as imperative to my health as eating right and getting exposure to nature. It was ultimately this community experience that inspired me to write Gardening Nude, a book about living a green and simple lifestyle. Downsizing and living greener, I am convinced, saved my life. While I still have health concerns, I have gone from taking over a dozen prescriptions per day, down to only two prescriptions per day. Every day I feel better, and my life is filled with family and love. My professional career of writing and keynote speaking is focused wholly on being able to inspire others to live better as well. Inspiring readers in 22 countries, I have a large online following. Living this new life, a successful life where I am making a global impact and helping others, is amazingly satisfying.

It is true that I live without as many extras as I used to have, but I feel far wealthier. Living life satisfied with what you have instead of forever wanting more is a far more rewarding way to live. I AM living the American Dream of happiness. It is not about being rich in money - it is about being knee-deep in family, community, hard work, love, and of course, garden.

We all have them. They can be for a day, week, year, or even a lifetime. Some are meant to change the world, while others are for changing ourselves. They might be for a particular change, for example, in the amount you sell in a month, or for a general change, like becoming less stressed. If you have not figured it out, we are talking about goals.

Gary Ryan Blair, also known as "TheGoalsGuy®", defines a goal as: a specific, measurable, and time-bound end toward which you direct specific effort until achieved! For the last 20 years, his 14 books and training materials on goals have been used by more than 80,000 organizations and 4,000,000 employees world-wide. Today we are pleased to announce our newest book from Simple Truths, authored by none other than TheGoalsGuy® himself. It is titled, Goals: The 10 Rules for Achieving Success. As evidenced by the title, this book has ten rules to help you target your goals, create a plan, and faithfully execute that plan. I would like to give you a taste of the book. Please enjoy the introduction:

On everyone's short list of things to do during their lifetime are the accomplishment of worthy goals and the fulfillment of one's purpose.

Achieving a goal is like opening a combination lock. You need the correct numbers in the correct right, left, right sequence. There are thousands of possible combinations; and if you are aware of the settings but not the sequence, your efforts will prove futile.

The Ten Rules of Goal Setting is the combination that opens the lock of success. Each rule is one piece of the combination; each seamlessly integrates with the other nine; each one counts!

This book provides the goal setting information you need in a straightforward and systematic manner. You will be hard pressed to find a goal that does not require each of these ten rules.

Not all goals are equal, but all goals contain the same foundational elements. When it comes to setting goals, we often don't know what we don't know. And, what you don't know can - and most likely will - hurt you by limiting or compromising your success. Each rule calls for and requires know-how of multiple disciplines. No one is born with all the talents to achieve a goal - you learn as you go on the fly!

If I could carve ten rules for achieving a goal into the walls of your mind, they would be the ones contained in this book. The ten rules work because they are simple, and they are simple because they work.

Success, of course, is individual. Your definition of "the good life" may be very different from mine. Yet the underlying steps toward that end are the same. That similarity helps you to understand what success really is.

Success is the ability, first, to recognize opportunity; second, to form plans and strategies that leverage opportunity; and, third, to develop the necessary skills needed to execute those strategies. The ten rules, like anything else in life, operate best if they are self-enforced!

Success is beautiful because of how it looks to you, how it works, how it feels and how it represents the fulfillment of goals pursued. Grow accustomed to prosperity and confident in the process of achieving a goal. Embrace these ten rules of goal setting and give witness to a powerful transition in your life.

What goals are you working toward in your personal and professional life? How do you plan to get there? Lastly, I would like to ask you a question that my sales manager asked me at my first job. It helped me to visualize what making my goal would look like, and I will share that question with you: What will it feel like when you get there? Let's see your comments!