Inspiration

I grew up in Trenton, a west Tennessee town of five thousand people. I have wonderful memories of those first eighteen years, and many people in Trenton influenced my life in very positive ways. My football coach, Walter Kilzer, taught me the importance of hard work, discipline, and believing in myself. My history teacher, Fred Culp, is still the funniest person I've ever met. He taught me that a sense of humor, and especially laughing at yourself, can be one of life's greatest blessings.

But my father was my hero. He taught me many things, but at the top of the list, he taught me to treat people with love and respect...to live the Golden Rule. I remember one particular instance of him teaching this "life lesson" as if it were yesterday. Dad owned a furniture store, and I used to dust the furniture every Wednesday after school to earn my allowance. One afternoon I observed my Dad talking to all the customers as they came in...the hardware store owner, the banker, a farmer, a doctor. At the end of the day, just as Dad was closing, the garbage collector came in.

I was ready to go home, and I thought that surely Dad wouldn't spend too much time with him. But I was wrong. Dad greeted him at the door with a big hug and talked with him about his wife and son who had been in a car accident the month before. He empathized, he asked questions, he listened, and he listened some more. I kept looking at the clock, and when the man finally left, I asked, "Dad, why did you spend so much time with him? He's just the garbage collector." Dad then looked at me, locked the front door to the store, and said, "Son, let's talk."

He said, "I'm your father and I tell you lots of stuff as all fathers should, but if you remember nothing else I ever tell you, remember this...treat every human being just the way that you would want to be treated." He said, "I know this is not the first time you've heard it, but I want to make sure it's the first time you truly understand it, because if you had understood, you would never have said what you said." We sat there and talked for another hour about the meaning and the power of the Golden Rule. Dad said, "If you live the Golden Rule everything else in life will usually work itself out, but if you don't, your life probably will be very unhappy and without meaning."

I recently heard someone say, "If you teach your child the Golden Rule, you will have left them an estate of incalculable value." Truer words were never spoken.

If you're a newsletter subscriber, you may have already read this story. However, with less than a week left before Father's Day, I wanted to share how my father taught me some of the most important lessons that I've learned in my life. Therefore, it made me want to know what lessons did you learn from your father? What examples do you follow from him? What habits will you try to avoid? What are some principles that you want to pass to the next generation?

Today, we have a guest post from, Lisa Hammond! Lisa is best known by her blogger alias, The Barefoot CEO®. Lisa also co-authored one of our newest titles, Oh Thank Goodness, It's Not Just Me! with BJ Gallagher.

In Nevada we don't have the lottery, we have Mega Bucks—a progressive slot machine game—it may not be 300 million dollars, but it is certainly enough to change your life.

I am not a real gambler but whenever we go to the movies we walk right past the Mega Bucks machines and I like to put in a few bucks and fantasize about winning.

So every now and then I like to do what I call my "Mega Bucks Litmus Test". It goes a little something like this…I ponder what I would do if I actually won Mega Bucks.

Over the years there have been times I wouldn't change a thing. There have been times I would make radical changes. And there have been times I would only make slight modifications to my life. But what I have learned about myself is that this somewhat silly Mega Bucks Litmus Test actually has merit.

Life is too short to wait for our 10 million dollar ship to come in!

Whenever I mull over my Mega Bucks Litmus Test I inevitably end up course correcting and adjusting the sails on the ship of my life.

So what would YOU do if you won Mega Bucks?

"When nothing is sure, everything is possible." –Margaret Drabble

Oh, my goodness. It's almost summer… and to top it off, perhaps you're "in transition" looking for work, or in a job situation that needs to change. Maybe it's time to pay school tuition, or pick a college. You might be dealing with a health or family issue that is draining your "reserves" of energy, time, and resources. Given one, two, or ALL of the above, it's perfectly normal to feel stressed, possibly depressed, or absolutely overwhelmed. And, honestly? Platitudes are probably the LAST thing you want to hear.

I understand. But, one thing life has taught me with absolute certainty is that every day holds the potential to create the life you wish to have. Again and again, timeless wisdom tells us that the potential of an uncertain day, an uncertain future, an uncertain circumstance, is unlocked by an attitude of expectation. Every day offers new moments, new hours, and new opportunities that can be full of expectation for a new you – and it starts with attitude.

But don't take my word for it. History is full of wisdom from those who have gone before us, giving us quotations like the one above. When you need a "shot in the arm" to keep looking for work, or inspiration to "keep your eyes on the ball," or the mental fortitude to "get up and get going" another day, try to consider the proposition that there is often truth in the platitudes that swirl around us. I'll take that a step further, and tell you that there is also fruit to bear that goes beyond the direct advice they give…. The platitudes about attitudes are just the beginning. You know, The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And there is always more than one road to your future, or as Lt. General Hal Moore says, "There is always one more thing you can do to influence the situation in your favor."

As an entrepreneur for most of my adult life, I am a firm believer in the power of expectation. I meet each day with the anticipation that it will bear fruit – whether my time is booked with clients – or not. I expect to make a living each day, and I take it a day at a time. Funny how a "freelance writing and media production" business that started out by taking it one day at a time, hitting the pavement, shaking hands, introducing myself wherever I was, and whenever I could, blazed a trail to … now, over 20 years later. Did I travel in a straight line from "zero to making a living?" Did I create everything I dreamed I would have in the form of stuff? Hardly. So far, my life has dealt me a very trying hand, losing two brothers and both parents at a very young age, having a tumor removed, watching my husband lose his job in this recession, investing in a business that failed, and dealing with a malicious identity theft, just to give you a few examples of some of my own challenges along the way.

I'm acutely aware of how immobilized the events of a lifetime can make you feel, no matter what your age or circumstances. I've experienced it myself, and I've seen it hundreds of times in others. So, for just a few moments, I'm asking you to suspend your doubts and disbeliefs about the possibilities for good that await you today. I'd like you to withhold your skepticism as you read this, and muster your courage to imagine that your future can hold even a fragment of the dreams you have. Just for now, hear me out. Read on to see some of the ways that I "reset my attitude" on a regular basis. For me, it's about delivering quality service and products in my business, creating daily happiness, and plain old survival. For you, it could be about something else. Just for now, in this moment, consider a few tips and actions that can make a difference in your life:

1. Set out to give a slice of joy to someone today. Notice I said a "slice." You don't have to bite off more than you can chew. Perhaps for you it means a "whisper," a compliment, a "thank you," a phone call, an E-mail, or a wildflower. Acknowledge and accept the perspectives of others. We're all doing the best we can right now, in the "shoes" of our circumstances. If need be, set your ego aside for just one moment and reach out to others; "put yourself in their shoes." There is something you can offer someone you know or love that won't cost you a thing. And you know what? It can give you and them the possibility of a new outlook, or infuse your lives with a little optimism. This simple act alone can take your attitudes beyond platitudes.
2. Get out on foot. Take a walk, and say "hello" to everyone you meet along the way. Notice everything, and marvel in the characteristics of your neck of the woods. Is there something you can do to help your neighborhood? Do you know the neighbors around you? Do you know their habits and routines? Admire their canine companions and their efforts to exercise. We Americans have become way too sedentary, and that lack of motion in our lives affects us in more ways than one, physically and mentally. There is a whole world out there, right in your own neighborhood, your own town, and your own city. You won't see it or experience it any other way but on foot. Taking a walk will clear your head, make you healthy, and introduce you to new friends and new ideas for charting a course to a more healthy and vibrant life.
3. Do your routine tasks in a different way. We are the habits we do every day. Deliberately changing one thing daily can change everything. You've heard the platitude "You are what you eat." Take this to heart literally AND figuratively. Your daily routine keeps you in the place you are NOW. Take a look around you and catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror. Your daily routine has created the images you see. When you learn something new, your brain physiologically changes. When you alter your diet and exercise habits, you reshape your waistline. When you make an effort to listen to someone else's story, you expand your beliefs and your tolerances. When you take a new route to the market, or venture into a new one altogether, you see things you've never seen before. When you visit a coffee shop that's off your beaten path, you meet new people. When you make new choices, you create a new future.
4. YOU are the architect of your life. There is a famous quotation that is often mistakenly said, "Circumstances make the man." The actual quotation by James Allen is "Circumstances don't make the man, they reveal him." Who you are is attributable in large part to how you have responded to your circumstances. I grew up in a home where my parents loudly opined about all of the politics of our country. As a young adult, I mimicked their words and attitudes boisterously as well. Then one day, with the emergence of a new issue that I felt strongly about, I realized that I could change my opinions if I wanted to. A light bulb literally went off in my head. "Wow. I don't agree with my parents on this issue. In fact, I don't agree with their politics at all anymore." I gave myself permission to change my beliefs in mid-stream, and I've never looked back. At my core, I ceased to be the person I was at a young age, and I have taken responsibility for that ever since. My actions reflect who I am.
5. Let yourself EVOLVE with the transformation of a new decision. Make the decision to trust that your life will bring forth a new bounty. You CAN be different than you are now. As human beings it is hard-wired within us to fear the unknown, and to be terrified of change. But, as much as our fears give us comfort because they are what we know, they also bind us tightly, and can imprison us with self-doubt and inaction.

Simple changes in your attitude and routine can affect literally everything about you and bring on a new job, a new relationship, a new outlook, new horizons, new friends, and a new body, just to name a few of the potential benefits. If you take it one day at a time, you can move beyond the platitude "Today is the first day of the rest of your life," and create today, tomorrow, and ultimately your future, what it stands for, and your legacy. I don't know about you, but to me, that's something worth thinking about.

Di Chapman is founder of Words To Your Advantage, a speaking and writing service; and the Chief Communications Officer for Power Connections Inc., an executive career management and outplacement company. You can read more of her thoughts at www.thedailyjobhunt.wordpress.com.

Today, to celebrate Mother's Day, BJ Gallagher has shared her story that will appear in the Stars and Stripes Newspaper this weekend! Please enjoy BJ's story, and Happy Mother's Day!

My mother Gloria was married to a military man. She moved her family 22 times in 31 years, over three continents, through three wars. Dad was the one who wore the uniform – Mom was the one who wore the brave smile. She served her country every bit as much as her husband Ken did, and she did so with no hesitation, no complaint, no regret. Mom was the wife of a warrior – she kept the home fires burning while Dad put his life on the line to protect his family and country.

I realize now that Mom put her life on the line, too. She was just 22 years old when she boarded ship in San Francisco and spent the next 21 days – horribly seasick – sailing to the Philippines to join my father. She stayed up on deck much of the time, carrying her nine-month-old baby (me) in her arms, trying desperately to calm her queasy stomach. Over the years, she always said how grateful she was for the kindness of sailors and strangers who helped care for me during her miserable voyage across the Pacific.

Just a few months after we arrived in the Philippines, the Korean War broke out and Dad was sent to Japan, leaving his young family behind. Mom would sometimes stand on the front porch of our house on base, with her toddler on her hip and a gun in her other hand. She could hear the Hukbalahap insurgents fighting just a mile up the road and at night she could see the flashes of gunfire in the nearby mountains. It would be six long months before she was allowed to join my father in Japan.

It couldn't have been easy for a young mother to alone with her baby in a foreign country, with communist insurgents fighting nearby. But when my mother tells the story now, she always makes it sound like a great adventure rather than a terrifying war zone. That's Mom – always putting a positive spin on things.

A few years later, after short stints in Montana, Texas, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, we got transferred to Virginia for six months, where Dad attended Armed Forces War College in Norfolk. At the time, the South was experiencing mounting racial tension, and I recall my mother cautioning me to be careful at school. She was especially distressed when I came home one day and told her that a couple girls had come to school with razor blades hidden in their hair.

The military culture in which we lived was remarkably free of racism and bigotry, so I was ill-prepared to deal with racial issues on the playground. Looking back, I think Mom was more worried about the covert racial conflict in the American South than she had been about the overt military conflict in the Far East.

In 1959 we shipped out to Germany, where we had our longest tour of duty – four and a half years – during which we moved three times. Dad often joked that just when Mom got a place fixed up the way she liked it, we had to move again. Mom always laughed, but I'm not sure she really thought it was funny.

We were stationed in West Germany when the Cold War began. The Berlin Wall went up and so did the tension in the air – even us kids could feel it. We never knew if war was going to break out and our dads would be called to fight. Everyone lived in a constant state of alert, wondering and waiting to see if families would have to be evacuated to stateside. My parents never talked about their fear of a potential World War III, but kids are intuitive and smart – we could sense that something ominous was looming.

My high school years were spent in Illinois, followed by our second tour of duty in Germany. Then Dad was off to War College again, this time in Montgomery, Alabama. From there it was north to Dover, Delaware for a couple years, then south to Puerto Rico. Next was Thailand for Dad, while Mom remained stateside in San Diego so my brother Roger could finish high school.

And so it went over the years – from base to base, state to state, country to country – my mom hauling her kids and boxes of belongings (and sometimes a cat or dog) from one assignment to the next. She was a military mom and that's just what they do – get their marching orders and report for duty.

Every day, month after month, year in and year out, in wartime and in peacetime, millions of American women serve their country with honor. They provide support to their military husbands, while raising their children in the shadow of the fortress. These women often do long stints as single moms, while their husbands are deployed overseas for extended periods – months, even years.

There are no medals for bravery awarded to the wives of warriors – but there should be. These remarkable women deserve their own "Mother of Freedom" medal.

On this Mother's Day, remember the military moms. Seek them out in your neighborhood, your workplace, your church, your local school. They are the unsung heroes – they are patriot moms who serve our country with selfless love and loyalty. Salute them. Thank them. Hug them. Honor them. They are the Mothers of Freedom.

BJ Gallagher has authored Learning to Dance in the Rain, The Best Way Out is Always Through, and Oh Thank Goodness, It's Not Just Me! for Simple Truths. She also blogs for the Huffington Post.

Teacher Appreciation Day is Tuesday, May 4th. Whether you're 6 years old or 60, I'm sure you remember a teacher or two whom have inspired you.

I remember when I was a sophomore, I was asked to fill in for another actor in the Spring high school musical, Cole Porter's Anything Goes. The practices were long and hard: I was quite shy as a teenager, so it unnerved me to speak on stage. After the last performance of the musical I went up to my director and said, "I never thought I would have enough courage to speak on stage!" Mr. Ruelas encouraged me with a phrase I'll never forget: "Don't you ever limit yourself!" Since then, whenever I think, "I can't do this!" I remember him telling me that phrase.

Which teachers have inspired you? How have they inspired you? What quotes from them remind you to persevere?

A Parent's Note to a Teacher Anonymous ?I'm the voice of a grateful parent whose child was in your class... the one who needed help to find his way You've been a special blessing as you helped my child succeed and I'm thankful for the part you had to play You gave him so much more than just the lessons in the books you gave him wings... so he could learn to fly You ignited a flame within his soul a passion to learn and grow... to never give up and always be willing to try Your encouragement inspired him and your kindness was so real but the thing that thrills my heart the most is this... By building his self-confidence you changed his life this year he believes in himself... and a brighter future is his!