It’s Our Choice

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.  “Well,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today.”  So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.  “Hmm,” she said, “I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today.”  So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.  “Well,” she said, “today I’m going to wear my hair in a ponytail.”  So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head.  “YEAH!” she exclaimed.  “I don’t have to fix my hair today!”

Attitude is everything – and it’s our choice!

Mike Lefton

Broker Associate   

Troop Real Estate

Entrepreneur Tip

Starting a business can be tough – just ask anyone who’s done it.  The hours are long and the initial pay is usually low to nonexistent.  Nonetheless, almost 465,000 Americans take the entrepreneurial plunge every month.  If you’re one of them, then you might want to take a look at your local community college offerings, where many of the programs are open enrollment.  This flexibility is a good match for people interested in starting a business, and rather than pursuing a degree in entrepreneurship, you have the option of taking only a class or two to fill gaps in your knowledge.

Do You Have
Too Much Debt?

How do you know if you have too much debt?  Even if you earn a high income and are currently making your payments on time, you could be in trouble if your debt-to-income ratio is too high, says personal finance expert Lynnette Khalfani-Cox (www.themoneycoach.net).  Here are some warning signs:

·        You have maxed-out credit cards, or cards that are pretty close to their limits.

·        You use your credit card checks to pay your credit card bills.

·        You can’t afford some of your payments, so you skip them.

·        You’re not sure what your total debt is.

·        You switch credit cards to get a lower rate because you can’t afford to pay the minimum on the card you have.

·        You and your partner argue about bills.

·        You’re stressing out or losing sleep over bills.

·        When you apply for new credit, you’re turned down.

·        You get phone calls from creditors or bill collectors.

·        You’re using a credit card to buy things you need on a daily basis, like gas or groceries.

·        You have a low FICO score because of the amount of your debt.

Khalfani-Cox says that if any of these statements describe you, you’re probably operating in the danger zone with your credit cards.

On Choosing Your Battles Wisely

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), the 26^th president of the United States, was an extraordinary man:  scientist, explorer, and cowboy, as well as an authority on wildlife.  He wrote 36 books, more than 100,000 letters, and became president at the age of 42.  It seemed there was nothing he couldn’t do.

However, during his presidency, Roosevelt’s oldest daughter, Alice, caused him and his wife a good bit of trouble.  Alice was beautiful, willful, and rebellious.  She was seen smoking cigarettes in public and flagrantly flirting with men; she enjoyed carrying a live snake in her purse.  The newspapers loved Alice, and Alice loved the attention.

One day, Roosevelt was asked why he didn’t keep his daughter more firmly under his control.  He replied, “I can either run the country or control Alice, but I’ll never be able to do both.”

Roosevelt, who had mastered so much in the world, knew what battles he could fight and win.  Even more important, the hero – who once led the “Rough Riders” to victory in the Spanish-American War – knew which battles to leave alone.

Do you know how to “choose your battles wisely”?

Say What?

We’re not afraid of challenges.  It’s like we always say:  If you want to go out in the rain, be prepared to get burned.  – Anonymous Brazilian soccer player

Please provide the date of your death.  – From an IRS letter

You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday.

– Sign in a Moscow hotel

Can’t act.  Can’t sing.  Balding.  Can dance a little.

– MGM summary of Fred Astaire’s screen test 

Traffic is very heavy at the moment, so if you’re thinking of leaving now, you’d better set off a few minutes earlier.  – Anonymous traffic report

Go see it and see for yourself why you shouldn’t go see it.  – Samuel Goldwyn

Fiction writing is great.  You can make up almost anything.

– Ivana Trump, upon finishing her first novel

And now the sequence of events in no particular order. 

– Dan Rather, television news anchor

Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away.  You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances.

– Department of Social Services, Greenville, SC

Are You Educated – Really?

Do you consider yourself an educated person?  We’re not talking about where you went to school or how many Jeopardy answers you can come up with.  We’re not even talking about everything you’ve learned from your experiences in the world.  What we’re asking is, are you educated?  Do you know what you do and don’t know?  That is the true definition of an educated person.

Being educated means this:  First, you recognize and admit what you don’t know and what you need to know.  Once you’ve admitted to yourself and the world that you don’t know something, the next piece of being educated is knowing where and how to get what you need.  Once you’ve got everything you need, the real trick is knowing how to use what you’ve gone out and gathered up.

Author/publisher William Feather seemed to have gotten this right when he defined education this way:  “An education isn’t how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know.  It’s being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you need to know; and it’s knowing how to use the information you get.”

How To Get Balanced

Life and work pressures can feel overwhelming at times.  And when that happens it’s good to take a breather and remind yourself what’s important.  Here are a few pearls of wisdom offered by Alan Weiss in his newsletter Balancing Act (www.summitconsulting .com/newsletter.html):

Try to remember that what you’re shooting for is success – not perfection.  That should give some relief; you don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to make excuses for being human.

When you have time off, avoid checking email or voicemail unless you’re expecting something truly important.  Why?  You risk the chance of upsetting your peace of mind and your good night’s sleep if you see something that starts your mind working or worrying.  Whatever it is, it’s likely that it can wait till you’ve relaxed, recharged, and gotten a decent night’s sleep.

When you’re feeling constantly bombarded with too much work, take some time to see if there are some areas you can streamline.  You might be surprised at the labor-saving technology, devices and techniques that are available.  But you have to take the time to find and put them into action.

Good Parenting Principles

When talking to your child, there are certain expressions that parents should avoid, according to Laurence Steinberg in The 10 Basic Principles of Good Parenting.  Some of them are “Don’t talk back,” “You’ll know better when you’re older,” “If I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it,” and “Keep your mouth shut.”

Steinberg says that even though you may have to make a preemptive decision about your child, there are more polite ways to tell him.  You don’t want your child to feel that whatever he thinks is automatically irrelevant because he’s young.  In fact, Steinberg says as a parent you should treat your child with respect, and consider his opinions most of the time.  Inevitably there will be times when the latter isn’t possible or advisable, but if children feel generally valued they’ll likely come to understand that you’re trying to make the best decision – even if they know they aren’t going to get their way.

Some “Juicy” Facts

Do you love fresh-squeezed juices?  Many venues offer this “healthy” treat, and people are consuming large quantities of it.  But when fruits or vegetables are fresh squeezed, according to the Food and Drug Administration, harmful bacteria, which comes either from the inside or the outside of the produce, can become part of your juice.  That’s why most of the juices sold in the United States are pasteurized – to kill the harmful bacteria.

Some of us are especially vulnerable to the dangers of these bacteria, including children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.  These people should avoid unpasteurized juices.

Keep this in mind when you’re visiting farmers’ markets, grocery stores and health food stores that offer fresh-squeezed juices.  Venues that sell containers of the juice must provide a warning label.  But venues that sell fresh-squeezed juice by the glass, such as roadside stands, restaurants and juice bars, do not have to provide any warning that the juice you’re drinking has not been pasteurized.

Are You Seeing Red?

The color red is associated with mistakes and failures, experts say.  And now researchers at the University of Rochester and University of Munich say that the color red can affect how people perform on tests.  The study, which was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, found that people’s associations with colors are so strong and deep that people are predisposed to certain reactions when they see that color.

Red has been traditionally associated with errors in schoolwork.  Therefore, says Andrew Elliot, lead author and professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, when people see even a flash of red before being tested, they associate the color with mistakes and failure, and in turn perform poorly on the test.

The researchers say the study shows that care must be taken when it comes to color and achievement, and that color can act as an environmental cue that influences behavior.

Not-Reading Statistics

·        One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.

·        Forty-two percent of college graduates never read another book.

·        Eighty percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.

·        Fifty-seven percent of new books are not read to completion.

·        Seventy percent of Americans haven’t visited a bookstore in five years.

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