 |  |  |  |  |
Have you ever thought about how people are created equal? Did you know that there is one way and one way only that we are all exactly the same? That way is time. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, or what school you went to, or where you were raised… you only get 24 hours in a day. That’ s 86,400 seconds in each 24 hour period. The way to be most efficient and effective with your time and get the most out of your 24 hours is to follow these 5 simple steps. 1. Write- Everything you need or want to get done in a day, write it down. You don’t have to over complicate this one. Just get a simple legal pad of paper and write Things To Do Monday at the top. Then start your list. I do things to the ridiculous. 1. Wake up at 6am. 2. Go to gym by 6:30. 3. Email Mike regarding marketing. 4 Call Mary about business cards. 5. Pick up dry cleaning. 6. Drop off bracelet at jeweler. 7. Buy stamps…etc. If you simply write down what needs to be done you will free up your mind and instantly be more focused and get more done. 2. Eliminate distractions- Distractions or interruptions are the primary cause for people to not be efficient and get what needs to be done, done. Here you have two options. Option A- remove the distractor. If it’s the phone, turn it off. If it’s email, don’t even log into your account until your project is complete. If it’s television, don’t turn it on. Option B. Remove yourself from the distractor. If you work in an office where others are constantly being a distraction or interruptive, then you need to not be in that environment. If possible work from home to complete a project. Go to an available conference room or empty office and close the door. If you are in a cubicle put up a sign that reads, Do NOT Disturb or Quiet time from 9-noon, no interruptions please. 3. Stay in the moment- Many times people do not use the present moment effectively because they are projecting in the future or dwelling on the past. The future is not here yet, so it is most efficient and effective to get the most you can out of this moment, right now. By writing a things to do list you will be eliminating, or a least reducing stress and random thoughts. You will be more organized, together and know what you need to do and when you need to do it by. If you are dwelling on the past, with all do respect you need to get over it and move on. Here’s the thing, no matter how much you ponder and percolate on something that has already happened , it isn’t going to change what happened. It is what it is. Think about where you are now and what you can do in this present moment to make the best of any situation. 4. Set an alarm- If you need to get something done in a specific amount of time or if you need to dedicate minutes, hours, etc to a project to complete it by the deadline, set an alarm. Use one on your computer, watch, cell phone, egg timer, or an actually alarm clock. Until that alarm sounds, you stay focused and only work on that one project. Allotting a specific amount of time will enable you to concentrate on just the matter at hand without concerning yourself with the clock or other things around you. 5. Have a reward- Nothing is better than having a little incentive when you are learning a new habit. The next time you are struggling with managing your time, give your self a reward. Say when I have my entire things to do list complete every day for one week, I will give myself blank, as a treat. Now you have a reason to stay focused, avoid distractions and get what needs done, done. Those are the five basic steps for Time Management. What are you waiting for??? Get to writing your things to do list today! |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Sharmen Lane, SharSpeaks LLC Giving you the Wow and the How! 888 582 0582 shar@sharspeaks.com www.sharspeaks.com |
5 Steps to Effective Time Management by success expert, Sharmen Lane |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
"THREE WEEKS IN ITALY" A Novel by Phil Acosta is the profoundly moving, hilarious, and refreshingly original novel about a man’s journey after losing his young wife to cancer. After suffering intense grief for over a year, Douglas Steele, a rigid, rules-bound attorney, decides to join a dating service to find a replacement wife. Doug is smitten when he meets the comely Gianna Christophe and impulsively marries her after a short courtship. The novel, based on true events, reveals Doug’s story of beginning his new life with the unconventional Gianna while being haunted by memories of his recently-deceased wife. Meanwhile, his new bride (who turns out to be the opposite of Laura) and desperately tries to be the perfect wife while being plagued by habits from her single life. The reader will travel with the couple as Doug meets Gianna's eccentric parents and her quirky friends before embarking on their three week honeymoon in Italy . While in Italy , the newlyweds stumble into trouble nightclubbing in Venice , Gianna becomes an unstoppable shopper in Florence and the ultimate tourist in Tuscany , Doug gets into a high speed chase in Rome , and Gianna flips out at the Rome airport. Fast paced and exciting to the end, as the story unfolds, the twosome begin reconsidering their marriage as their resolve to make their honeymoon happy at all costs starts crumbling. The reader will laugh, cry, and ponder the fate of Doug and Gianna as the newlyweds discover themselves and one another. Click any of the popular online retailers below to purchase this book. Barnes&Noble.com Amazon.com |
New Book, just out (in Spanish only right now) El Curso de la Esfera (Curse of the Orbs) by Ruben Betancourt This book is special to me because I know this man and his family and I so hope you all like the book!! Click any of the popular online retailers below to purchase this amazing book. Authorhouse.com Barnes&Noble.com Amazon.com A bit about the book: Hay espíritus milenarios que habitan entre nosotros. Hay secretos ocultos detrás de cada recoveco que encontramos por el camino. La esfera, siempre fiel a su curso nos guía. Los destinos se cruzan tejiendo vida. Victoria es la dama de juventud eterna que seduce a nuestro personaje principal y lo lleva por senderos de sentimiento puro. Los personajes nos invitan en un paseo lleno de incertidumbre y repleto de esperanza. Caminemos junto con ellos para descubrir lo que se encuentra más allá del otro lado de el camino. |
Hello - My name is Gloria Aida Alvarado 72 years young and interested in writing articles of period houses of Hemet , CA 92543 near the center of town. I wrote my first article for a class I was attending and I am interested in continuing to write several articles of these houses and start a social column for the local newspaper. I am thrilled to be able to interview owners and tenants of these dwellings and submit them to my Community College for a critique. My plan is to create a portfolio for a future publishing. I am attatching a copy for review by the readers of Good News Only – and I will appreciate comments thru the “Contact Us” page. Thank you . . . .666666 |
A House from the Past Gloria A. Alvarado My love for period houses goes back to my youth when I fell in love with the Victorian style of architecture in Mission Hills, San Diego, California. The intricate designs always intrigued me, because of the attention to detail from the scrollwork under the eves of roofs and railings of their typical porches. Then in 2001 I retired with my husband to Hemet, California and rekindled my love of this style. I promised myself that in 2009 I would write and take pictures of these vintage homes throughout Hemet starting with the first home I saw and loved; a 1929 English Tudor home located at 10l W. Kimball, owned by Anne Marc-Aurele. She graciously gave me a tour of her home. The only change she made was installing an island for a built-in stove and enclosed the porch converting it into a laundry room. The cabinetry, windows and framed trimmed doors are original of the period. Anne showed me the tiny pantry with round carousel shelves for spices and packaged food. My imagination pictured a busy housewife making dinner from scratch with no help from a microwave or precooked packaged dinners. The rooms are small with arched entry ways and with the original wooden floors, framed doors and wall lamps. The living room was painted off white to reflect more light. As I walked in I could see a staircase leading to the second floor and to the right was a tiny bedroom with a fire-place. I imagined that people were of smaller stature to be comfortable in their small surroundings. Anne furnished this quaint home with period love seat, rocking chair, hutch and dining set. I touched the beautiful restored walls peered through the small paned windows. Since I did not made an appointment for my visit and Anne was busy redecorating the upper floor I did not stay much longer. In spite of my short visit I learned a lot about this house. Now I have others to visit . . . . |
“IT IS SUCH FUN TO MEET NEW PEOPLE. . . . AND I HAVE JUST RECENTLY MET THIS AUTHOR AT CHURCH Linda Ciampoli !! What a story she has to tell – Max and Linda Ciampoli Authors "National Bestseller" CHURCHILL'S SECRET AGENT (BERKLEY/PENGUIN,Dec,2010) CLICK ON THE BELOW LINKS FOR MORE INFO Website: www.ChurchillsSecretAgent.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChurchillsSecretAgent Twitter: www.twitter.com/ChurchillSecret YouTube Intro: http://bit.ly/fNp2vV |
The Good News Only Network All Rights Reserved |
| Here is a new take on a lending library. . . shared by one of our loyal readers and discovered on a recent trip to Minnesota!! Little Free Libraries By: BILL WARD, Star Tribune www.startribune.com Little Free Libraries allow neighbors to share books and a bit of themselves They look like large birdhouses and act like water coolers. But the sustenance stored inside the wooden, windowed boxes is a blend of knowledge and recreation. Little Free Libraries, the brainchild of Stillwater native Todd Bol, are popping up all over Minnesota, from tony Lowry Hill to St. Paul's rough-and-tumble East Side to placid Detroit Lakes. Usually planted near streets and seeded with their owners' books, the libraries can hold about two dozen volumes. Working on an honor system -- a sign on the side reads "Take a Book, Leave a Book" -- the boxes tend to stay stocked with contributions from those who happen upon them and find a book or three to take home. "It's always moving -- paperback, hardcover, kids' books. We are not having to feed much," Mary Kloehn of Minneapolis said. "We're reading a great book now that somebody put there. It's like a dynamic library in our front yard. "We live in a neighborhood where you can spit on the next residence, but that still doesn't mean you talk to them. These people across the street stopped and talked to us for the first time ever by the library." That's a common occurrence, according to Bol, who now lives in Hudson, Wis. He came up with the idea two years ago and started the nonprofit company "Little Free Library" with his friend Rick Brooks of Madison, Wis. "What we have found is that the neighborhood starts to feel like it's theirs," Bol said. "The neighborhood starts taking care of it. People come together to talk about literacy, education -- community things that we define so well but lack so much. There is such polarity these days that this is a little common place that we're comfortable with." Bol has enlisted several other builders, including an Amish man who uses wood from 100-year-old barns and Forest Lake residents who work with recycled sawdust. Recycling has been a theme all along: Some of Bol's first libraries came from a barn that blew down when a tornado hit Ogema, Wis. The dimensions are "not real scientific," Bol said. "They can be no higher than 24 inches so it can fit in my station wagon. We try to make it not over 23 inches wide so it fits in a 26-inch box for UPS. Usually 15 7/8 inches deep, so we can get the best maximized cutout of a piece of plywood." And then there's this: "If they get any bigger than that, I hurt my back carrying them." They cost $375 to $1,000, although build-it-yourself and Pay It Forward programs can help reduce the price. Bol and Brooks also encourage neighbors to share the costs (www.startribune.com/a713). In just two years, scores of Little Free Libraries have popped up in Wisconsin, along with some in Colorado, Oregon, Illinois, British Columbia and Mexico. A recent State Fair stint helped bring the libraries to the attention of Minnesotans. But Ruth Solie of Detroit Lakes learned about them on Facebook. "I just clicked through and was so taken by it," Solie said. "For one thing, it's really adorable and at a height a fairly young child can reach. There are a lot of runners and walkers here, and a lot of children on the block. One of my neighbors has a day-care. They come and sit on the grass and have a little outing. "We just had a woman who came by and saw that 'Cutting for Stone' was in there, and she was on her way to buy that for a friend. The other day some teens were going by and stopped. There was a beautiful bird guide, and they lit up and got it, and off they went. "My impression is that no one has walked past it without stopping to look. On a summer's evening, people just kind of congregate around it." And in winter? "Hey, during the big snowstorms, we were the public building that was open," Bol said with a chuckle. He added that the boxes are "mostly double-walled, not that they're insulated and warm but dry and weatherproof -- and people go for walks all year long." Literature-loving women over age 50 such as Solie are the libraries' strongest customers to date, said Bol, who finds a common thread in their motivation. "What we often hear [about the stocked books] is, 'I'm a great reader, and they're such a part of me that I just can't sell them for 25 cents to a used-book store,'" Bol said. "'But I can give them to a friend.'" And then there's the clutter factor, at least for many baby boomers who have amassed vast collections of books. "It's kind of a way of getting something out of books that are sitting on my shelf that I don't particularly need anymore," Solie said, "but they're wonderful books and I'm happy to share them." Mary and Royce Kloehn have taken it a step further. They had set aside a stack to feed their Little Free Library and still haven't gone through them all. But they noticed an occasional shortage of books for the many young readers in their neighborhood. "We have a lot of little kids who'll come by and say, 'Look I've got a book; I've got a book,'" Mary Kloehn said. "So my husband combs through the grocery for kids' books. He thought it was a dumb idea when we got it, but now he's the librarian of the century." Bill Ward • 612-673-7643 |
| SPECIAL TREATS : TWO new short stories and the beginning of a new book written by friends and submitted for your pleasure! and then a new concept in Lending Libraries - be sure to view this whole page. |
Here is a blurb on Phil Acosta's new book: Based on a true story, A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE depicts the struggle of a successful, level-headed lawyer and his new free-spirited, unpredictable wife in adjusting to their recent marriage, coping with their law firm, facing the economic hardships of the current recession, and eventually losing everything. In his clear, conversational style, the author begins his story where his debut novel, THREE WEEKS IN ITALY, ends. Although reading his first novel is entirely unnecessary to understanding his recent work, the author continues the story of Doug and Gianna Steele after their tumultuous honeymoon in Italy. Returning home to an affluent lifestyle, Gianna decides to join Doug's law firm and she eventually experiences a betrayal that leads to disastrous events. The reader will follow the main characters as they desperately attempt to survive through the morass of evictions, sub-prime borrowing, foreclosures, unemployment, bad credit, law suits, and unyielding despair. After the devastation, Gianna moves back into her mother's home in Corona del Mar and Doug ends up in a trailer park in Bakersfield. Stripped of their material possessions, they soon discover a hidden treasure in their relationship which leads them to redemption and a new life together. For a quick catch-up, see the red box further down this page on "Three Weeks in Italy" !!! Don't be left out on this fun read !! |
PILGRIMAGE OF MANY TO FIND THEIR NEW FINANCIAL FREEDOM: 1849 Gold Rush in California By: Rich Loomis Hemet, CA 9254333 When the news reached the East Coast that they discovered Gold in California there was real pilgrimage to the West. The desire to create a new life was exciting for many folks, and for some it was a better life. The people loaded their families and all their possession into a covered wagon and started out. Most had never traveled long distances before and this was going to be a real challenge for many families especially those with small children. After traveling for months and experiencing different types of sickness, and yes, even death some were able to find this Gold country in the West. They were told about the Gold Rush in Jamestown, and yet others were told of the Gold Fields of Senora. Yet the lust for Gold many didn’t make it attempting to cross the tall peaks of the High Sierra Mountains that they must travel over to find the Gold fields. This was a real gamble the mountains were very steep and difficult. The weather was cold and the snow was pilling up, and many of the families just didn’t make the trek over and died trying. The snow in some places was 10 feet deep. But the lust for Gold didn’t change people from trying however, it was a like a starving animal finding food. Many of the families just didn’t use good common sense. It was the tough and rugged who would be those that found gold and did become rich, very rich, and quickly. Besides the rough travel there were thieves that took from people their positions. Then sickness occurred in many families but there weren’t any doctors yet to speak of, some of the very sick died and were buried where they stopped. In the early days out West it was everyone for themselves. But the early pioneers that made the successful journey had an exciting story to tell. Thus the Gold Rush of 1849 was the start of what has turned out to be the second largest State of the 50 States, and a thriving State to have it’s History told. |
“Canine Car Wash”
By: Paula Hudnall
Chris took the dogs with him to the car wash. "Oh, honey", I tried, "Chase gets nervous at the car wash. Maybe he should
stay home." Chris responded that Chase, our Chihuahua/terrier mix, just needed a little more familiarity with the car wash
experience. "He'll be fine. I'll hold him in my lap".
Waiting at the busy car wash Chris got impatient with the dogs jumping from his lap to the seat and back; his company truck
has limited space in the cab. Chris told Ke'aka, the big dog, to sit in the passenger seat, and put Chase on the driver's seat
between his legs. Angling the tires into the track the attendant ordered, "Close windows tightly, leave the car in neutral, and
do not brake".
Within 3 seconds of the washing arm sweeping down Chase got nervous. Really nervous. As the brushes landed on the roof
Chase dove under the driver's seat with a howl. Ke'aka, thinking that Chase found food under there, tried to follow. In doing
so she leaned on the brake pedal, triggering the washing arm to blink, "Do not Brake. Do Not Brake". Annoyed, Chris forced
her back in the passenger seat. "STAY KE'AKA". Fumbling under the driver seat Chris snagged Chase by the hind leg -
prying him loose from the seat brace that he had a death grip on. Bringing him back on the lap gave Chase a clear view of the
approaching rinse arm with water aimed at the cab. Chase howled, clawed his way out of Chris' grip, and jumped on Ke'aka.
That was the moment when Chase's sphincter muscles failed. 2 minutes into a 5 minute car wash, the Chihuahua Terrier mix
was struck with massive diarrhea. All over the passenger seat. And all over Ke'aka.
From the confinement of the cab Chris screamed, “Doggone it Chase - oh Gawd what a mess". Now, raising your voice just
scares the little dog, and while Chris dug under the seat for a rag Chase let go again, this time at the driver's feet near the
pedals. Meanwhile the car is nearing the wax arm and the cab - windows tightly closed - smelled like an outhouse. Captive
with cahcah in the cab!
It must have been the stench in there, but then the unthinkable - Chase started to heave and gag. He vomited - an impressive
projectile vomit he seemed too small to produce - directly between Chris' legs. Firmly convinced someone found food, Ke'aka
leapt from her post, ending up once again on the brake pedal. The now poop covered brake pedal. And floor mat. And Chris'
slippers. Like the inevitability of day following night, Chase poop and vomit found its way - via canine - into every corner of
the Ford F150 pickup cab. Knobs on the stereo, rear view mirror, door handles. No exceptions to full coverage.
The back door opened and Chris came in, but without the familiar jingle of dog collars. Without turning I said, "Get the truck all
cleaned up? Where are the dogs?" Then, before he could answer, "Oh honey, I smell something. I think you must have
stepped in dog doo - leave your slippers outside". Turning I beheld a terrible sight. My poor husband was covered with poop
and barf and dog hair. He was stunned, frozen by the mind boggling cleanup at hand. Without saying a word he handed me
the dog shampoo and a towel, pointing to the yard. He stripped right there, throwing the favorite old T shirt and shorts directly
into the trash can. "Ah", starting to laugh I queried, "Chase got nervous, yes?" Laughing = Big Mistake.
The dogs and I are out here in the back yard, in the doghouse, and I don't know when Chris will let us back in. I rang the bell
a few times and even knocked at the door. I hope he doesn't leave us out here until the cab of his truck is cleaned up - that
could be a really long time! And, the little dog is used to sleeping inside at night. For Heaven's sake we don't want the little
dog to get nervous....