Time For Go-Go Juice! - Motivation is Always Deep Within!

Good Chillin’ Day to you! Yes, my Go-Go Juice is still steaming, but not figuratively, I mean to say I’m keeping it hot – It’s after 3 o’clock in the afternoon for heaven’s sake and I just dawned on two pairs of socks. Where did our warm weather go? So, how did your week go this last week? I’m thrilled it’s Saturday.

You know, because I’m a LinkedIn member, I get involved with a number of discussion groups. There’s a lot of enlightening questions out there in the executive world and you read answers that you may not have ever thought of. One question came up this week that I wanted to share both question and answer. The question was: “Do you have a favorite motivational saying or story that you use?” posted by Erika Hanson Brown. Friends close to me on Facebook will tell you often I post motivational quotes from many leaders of our history as I believe in motivating others and sharing thought provoking ideas. However, as I contemplated the question, it wasn’t the “saying” part of her question that struck me, it was the “story” part. I do have a motivational story to share. Here’s my answer:

There’s nothing more motivating than to have a perfectly good stranger suddenly pop out of nowhere to save a person’s life, succeed, then disappear without any recognition, any acknowledgment, or for that matter, without even allowing a ‘Thank You’ to elevate from the incident. Like an angel from the heaven’s such a person entered our life one very sad evening; someone whose name we’ll never know, someone’s whose face we never saw; someone who will never know the tremendous impact they had on our lives, even to today.

The night was uncommonly cold, rainy and very dark. It was Veteran’s Day Weekend – November 11, 1994. At approximately 6:45pm, an auto/pedestrian accident occurred. The driver had been drinking. Just shy of mauling over three family members at once, one little body was thrown over 52 feet through the air, coming to rest on his side. Beyond the chaos, the nightmare, the extreme horror and shock, an angel appeared out of nowhere to perform mouth to mouth resuscitation on his little body. Hundreds of blue and red lights formed almost immediately lighting up the entire area from the darkness. The angel had breathed life back into his little body allowing the medics to give him a further chance at life. The angel disappeared and was never seen or heard from again. Later that night, the little body’s brain had suffered too much from internal swelling and was encouraged to find the light where in heaven he would remain in good hands, where we would meet again, someday. At 12:15am, he was gone. But he was given that one chance in that one defining moment of time, where one person gave of themselves without seeking anything in return. Sixteen years later, we still reflect with awe and amazement and find ways to do the same for others. The little body was my son. He was just six years old. That kind of motivation isn’t found in books, learned or taught. It’s found deep within one’s soul ready to spark to touch the lives of others at any given moment. To the angel, we still thank you! To our son – we still miss you. Until we meet again.

Dedicated to the memory of Dirk Andrew Meyers, born August 25, 1988 – died November 12, 1994.

The motivation is always within you. Find it, use it and share it. Have an amazing great day!

Time For Go-Go Juice! - What do the Contents of Your Juice Say About You?

Golden rays are just peaking over the roof tops, the skies are a grayish tint and in the background I hear the soft purring of my kitty cat who’s now nudging me for attention and sniffing the contents of my Go-Go Juice. Good morning! What is the content of your Go-Go Juice this morning? Can the contents of our Go-Go Juice contribute to our personality traits? You know, there are tons of personalities out there, but I don’t dare list them all – much too boring. However, there’s a few honorable traits to mention:

Type Trendy – One who likes the convenience of a “Quickie Mart”, but enjoys the trademark of Starbucks and their fancy Frappuccinos, Vivanno Smoothies, Tall Lattes, Iced Caffe’ Lattes, and variety of Espressos and is a person who likes to impress others and can blend into society to show that you too, can still afford a trendy beverage.

Type Health Conscience – One who is always on the go, but doesn’t have time to eat would rather enjoy making their own blended creation of juice, eggs and fresh fruit avoiding the caffeine while adding a good dose of vitamins to their daily regimen who can demonstrate their will to ensure lower cholesterol, need for protein and conscientiously be powered up for the day.

Type English Descent – A mild mannered individual would enjoy the sweet delicate aroma and taste of tea leaves who prefers to take the time to relax and steep a tea bag, while applying the art of condiments rather it be honey, sugar cubes, the squeeze of a lemon and calmly stir.

Type Coffee Bean Fanatic – A person who is always on the go, but get’s little rest and prefers the hot steamy Cup o’ Joe whether straight up black or sweetened with cream and sugar to keep their senses alert.

Type Youth is Forever – An individual who keeps a good bottle of soda nearby at all times – it’s cold, refreshing, and the bubbling carbonates tickle the throat giving the opportunity for a good belch every now and then.

Type Hydrated is Better – An individual who is very self conscience in staying well hydrated or maybe to ensure the loss of unwanted calories will maintain an over-sized goblet of water at all times giving themselves a treat with a twist of lemon or lime.

Whatever is the content of your Go-Go Juice, no doubt you have a unique personality and my above description is purely for fun thought this morning. They do say though, we are what we eat; the same must apply to what we drink. Off with ya’ now. You and I have a day ahead of ourselves and It’s FRIDAY! Make it the best day of the week so you can relax and enjoy your successes over the weekend!

Time For Go-Go Juice! - Unemployment Rises as America Rebounds? You Be the Judge...

Good morning to all my readers. Take a good sip of your Go-Go Juice – I read two conflicting articles this morning about how America is on the rebound yet the unemployment significantly jumped up with new jobless claims. Yahoo posted an article by Newsweek how cover story author, Daniel Gross points out the factors to show the upward climb. His facts point to how the U.S. economy has gone from shrinking at a 6.4 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2009 to growing at a rate of 5.9 percent at the end of the year; how the Dow Jones Industrial Average rebounded by 70% off the bottom; how 162,000 jobs were created in March; and how productivity rose by 5.8% in the fourth quarter of 2009 when compared to the 4Q in 2008. Now if you look at Associated Press who posted an article titled Jobless Claims Rise for a Second Straight Week by Jeannine Aversa stating that the new jobless claims summed up to a combined 42,000 new requests in the first two weeks (I’m guessing in March). The number of people continuing to draw unemployment benefits moved higher. They rose to 4.64 million, from 4.57 million. No doubt parts of our economy is seeing a small rebound, but until the unemployed get back into jobs, the benefits of unemployment will not greatly impact the economy as benefits are barely enough to cover basic living costs, let alone ring the cash registers of various businesses. And, while there is a rise in new unemployment claims, there are thousands if not millions of people coming off the unemployment from reaching the end of their extensions, who still don’t have jobs. Those who aren’t drawing a paycheck, who have lost their unemployment, will only have their local non-profit organizations to turn to for financial help in maintaining basic living costs. But, those types of agencies have suffered as well from this economy with new reports of budget cuts and used up grants. So, when the help stops, how is that going to affect our economy? I’ll tell you – it’s going to hurt, not encourage. I understand that media, whether in TV news or magazines hope to find some economist to bring “hope” to our ongoing suffrage, however, I hope it doesn’t compromise the realities that individuals and families do have a very long road to pave with hard work and sweat to find a means to getting employed. Well, for me, I’m adding an extra dose to my Go-Go Juice as I turn up the energy to drive that long road. So my friends keep your eyes peeled with hands on the wheel. Good luck in your endeavors and keep that Go-Go Juice flowing! Have a great day.

Time For Go-Go Juice! - Don't Let Rejection Deject You!

Another day, another phone call, meeting, connection, errand, email, kiss, hug, munchie, and of course another cup of Go-Go Juice. Hello! Went off to meet, greet, discover and acquire...it’s an everyday task. You know, meeting, greeting and discovering are a piece of cake! It’s the acquiring that’s the hardest to accomplish. I know when people go out into the field to sell a product or for whatever project, obtain support, it is often they run into "No's". What about job hunting - a cold call sale to inquire about a specific opening or need also often results in a "No". I've had a few people talk to me about how getting that "No" is a big downer, is dis-motivating and how they hate getting rejected. When rejection becomes the norm, one has to ask why then, does depression become an issue. The Merriam Webster Dictionary Online states that rejection is defined as 1a) to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose or use. Psychology teaches us that rejection can be a contributing factor to depression as nobody likes to be rejected. As kids, we hated to be told no when we wanted a cookie or when we wanted to wear our bathing suits out in the snow, or to play outside after dark. As adults, we get rejected in relationships, friendships, when trying to sell a product, or simply when we ask the boss for a special day off and told, “No”. I think no matter what the case, we hate being told, “No”. It takes away desire, a need, lowers expectations, stops us in our tracks and makes us think we can’t move forward. On the other hand, rejection is actually an immune response. Honestly, we get rejected on a daily basis, so hence, we become immune to the word and move on. The life of a sales person is full of rejection. Consumers tell sales people frequently, “Hey, it’s nothing personal, we just aren’t interested” or “Sorry, and I’m not buying at this time”. Rejection is just that, a “no”. It’s truly an opportunity to find a “yes”. A good sales person will always expect a “no” and hopefully maneuver around the “no” until a more level ground is discovered and a “yes” can be achieved. I have to agree though; it’s a lot easier said than done, sometimes. But, you know, my father taught me a valuable lesson growing up – to always ask when you don’t know the answer. The worse you’ll get is a “No”. The world does not come to an end and with a “no” you can actually identify how to possibly make it a “yes” for understanding the reason behind the “no”. Now, my dad was no psychologist – he was a salesman and an excellent one at that! Many people who know me wonder how it is I’m able to stay so chipper or positive minded. For one, my Go-Go Juice keeps me on my toes and when I get told “no” I think of my dad. So, if you’re having a tough week this week with rejection, remind yourself that with each rejection is another opportunity. Study the reason behind it and give it another try. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Keep up the great work, go around the rejections, and for heaven’s sake, keep drinking your Go-Go Juice! Chow!

Time For Go-Go Juice! - A Thrilling Thriller, The Human Centipede Coming to Your Home Town!

Oh – OK – it’s now 7PM – my Go-Go Juice is still flowing! Long day for a Tuesday. How did your day go? Well, I have some cool and exciting news to share. One of my family members has been drinking a lot of Go-Go Juice over the years. She’s kinda’ like my niece as we’re a number of years apart, but in reality, she’s a cousin of mine who has been following her dream in acting, and recently starred in a new film that has many people stirring – the film is titled “The Human Centipede”. The actress I speak of is Ashley Williams. And yes, I can say with confidence that I held this little starlet as a baby and watched her and her siblings grow up from afar! And, while I could probably make her cheeks glow a scarlet red from all the “cutsie” things she did as a kid, or the pictures I’ve seen, now is the time to humbly present her amazing talent as she and her team of actors and actresses prepare for the unveiling of this controversial, compelling thriller. Having seen her in action, makes me feel…..so old! But so proud! Where has the time gone? And where did she go from being cutsie to a full blown woman competing in a challenging industry where it’s hard enough to get a job as a walking celery stick for a commercial, let alone a main character in a big screen blockbuster! You’ve got to watch the trailer. I have to admit, I’m a movie buff and I love horror movies – although, I’m not into the “hack-n-slash” type that displays just gore with no story, no history, no end – no point. But, when it involves a good plot, great suspense and even a weird concept, I’ll give it a go and am usually well satisfied. This happens to be one of those! While I have not yet seen the film, I have seen the trailer – pretty cool. I’ve attached the link to the title above so please check it out! Opening night will be April 30th in New York City and then Nationwide folks, MAY 7th! Do see it!

And Ashley, if you read this – I get an autographed poster for Christmas, right? Keep your Go-Go Juice filled to the brim 'lil cuz! And for everyone else – dream big. As I’ve said before, never say never, can’t is a B.A.D. word and the world is your oyster. Have a great night.

Time For Go-Go Juice! - George Washington is the Face of Motivation?

Good Monday Morning to you! How’s your Go-Go Juice brewing? Mine’s steaming with ideas from a recent article I read about bribing kids to do well in school. You know I’ve talked a lot about Cassy and her upcoming successes as she graduates this year. Her grades are up and she’s thrilled to be taking on the new challenges of freedom, new studies and getting employed…all the next steps to becoming an adult who can live on their own. But, what about those students who don’t do so well?

Teachers, psychologists, counselors and parents all discuss the ongoing topic of what to do with your student when he/she is failing or close to it. The contributing factors to a student’s success or failure comes with living environments, study habits, personal challenges (like ADD or ADHD or other mental complexity), type of friends he/she associates with and parental involvement. I have a child who struggles – my son. He’s a typical boy age 14 and while he’s into mischief time to time, overall, he’s a pretty good kid for the most part. His interest in school is nil. Not the social part, the study part. He, like most young boys would rather spend time with friends, play and just hang. OK – he’s a teenager with typical desires and level’s of interest. But here’s the snag…his grades suffer (although he’s put a teeny-bit of effort into pulling them up) and he constantly shows his dismay for the way teachers teach, how the subjects are not interesting, constantly complains on how long it takes to get homework done (I must agree on average, it takes 5 hours a night based on his sister’s studies), and he’s always rebelling against authority (he hates being told what to do). Sounds normal? Well, when the attitude becomes compelling, we start dealing with new issues whereas the attitude spreads to other areas of individual responsibilities and I as a mom, get caught up into an explosive debate with my son where we butt heads and play tug-o-war over who controls what. While I have him seeing a counselor to help identify any key areas that could otherwise help him out of his “rut”, I discovered this article published online by Time Magazine and reported by Amanda Ripley. See Article for reference: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100409/us_time/08599197858900

The article is titled, “Should Kids Be Bribed to do Well in School?” For the most part, I think all parents dangle carrots in front of their kids to help motivate their study habits or improve their grades. But I had never considered paying per grade, type of behavior or for that matter for reading. The detailed report was highly comprehensive and focused on a Harvard Economist name Roland Fryer Jr. who was a deadbeat kid himself doing all the “bad” things when young, facing as much challenges as a kid from inner city issues, but who took the bull by the horns after years of finding himself one who could do better. Today, Mr. Frey is trying to help students find their way and payment seems to be the answer.

He made an interesting statement, “most adults work primarily for money, and in a curious way, we seem to be holding kids to a higher standard than we hold ourselves.” His study drew extreme controversial comments – kids should learn and get improved through the love of learning. The biggest argument from his studies was that while kids get paid to do homework, change behaviors and get certain grades, once the incentive is stopped, so does their “learning”. On the contrary, how they paid students in this huge experiment showed varying and interesting results. While students were paid to get good grades and did, it did not seem to affect them after the experiment at the end of the year or the year to follow showing a cause that there was truly no long term effect from the payments. However, students who were paid to “read” actually improved grades and the effects showed a year later where the same students did better from their prior “reading”.

I know that my son is highly motivated by money. He wishes badly to get a job so he can have some freedom of his own – no doubt some of that is also control over what he can do. Let’s face it, it sucks to be a teenager who can’t really go anywhere or do anything without having a few bucks to spend. As quoted from the article, one teenager who was an eighth grader named Chyna, apparently a child with lack of interest herself in maintaining her own behavior and following school rules, said when she got checks to wear her uniform properly and do well in school, she tried very hard to do better, wear her uniform and not attack other girls in school, because she knew she was getting paid. Yet, the interviewer questioned her, “about how the psychologists' argument that she should work hard for the love of learning, not for short-term rewards.” Her honest response? She looked the interviewer dead in the eye, "We're kids. Let's be realistic."

My son would have said the same thing. I’m telling you, it’s not my influence – I was for the most part a straight “A” student – a book worm and a “Goody-Too-Shoo” growing up. Where my son gets his ideas I have no clue. But I’ve been enlightened and now, don’t feel so alone. While I’m not putting my endorsement on the idea just yet, it is no doubt, food for thought, or in this case, food for dollars. I will definitely need a few more cups of Go-Go Juice to decide on this one.

Motivation is still Motivation no matter how we look at it. I hope you find your motivation for the week – it is after all Monday. Have a great day!

Time For Go-Go Juice! - How Much Coffee is Too Much?

“Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.”
- Cinderella, Disney 1950

Well, I’m pooped. I know – it’s Sunday, not Saturday. I totally skipped yesterday. Here’s why…Did you have your Go-Go Juice yesterday? I didn’t. Racing out yesterday morning to whisk my daughter out the door to acquire her prom dress, I left my Go-Go Juice behind. What an atrocity! How neglectful, shameful, careless…how sad. But, we took the bull by the horns anyway. And, now, with the dress and its accessories, Cassy has proudly pranced around to show off how she will be transformed into Cinderella for her upcoming Prom. An all day event that turned successful. Hundreds of young senior girls were out this weekend with the same goals in mind. But of course, it came with compromises – and leaving you alone for a day with no posts was one of them. So hence, with Go-Go Juice in hand this morning, I’m here to say a warm hello and will try not to go another day without the juice! LOL.

Here is some trivia…while I thought I was one of the few psychotic coffee drinkers, I learned something of interest. It appears I’m not alone. Did you know based on data collected ten years ago, (you say, “what the heck, ten years ago? What’s the point?” Well, I couldn’t find anything more current – probably because those who did the test died from over caffeinating themselves), however, back then, there were over 108 million consumers of coffee in the US alone who spent approximately $17 billion dollars on coffee in both retail and food sectors spending approximately $165.00 annually in grounds. Hmmm…I know I spend about $240 yearly when I buy two large canisters monthly at about $9.00 per can, unless it’s on sale (the difference from stats is probably inflation). Now, last night, the History Channel quoted one of our submarine sectors, the USS Kentucky, buys approximately 5,000 pounds a year in coffee grounds currently, averaging about 1 pot of coffee per sailor per day consumed. I’ve never given that any thought before? Can you imagine? I did a little more research. As found online at through Chief of Naval Operations Submarine Warfare Division with a web address of http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/faq.html - I found unless under specific orders, subs go out to sea for weeks at a time but are equipped to store foods and goods for up to 90-days of sail time. Most submarines employ 14 Officers, 18 Petty Officers and approximately 109 enlisted men. Now, the reality is, submarines are designed to attack or defend – so here we have approximately 140 people living in tight quarters, no sunlight, no moonlight, no windows and their only means of seeing the outside world is through a peep hole of a periscope, their bedrooms are 15 square feet of space for sleeping and personal stuff, they get about 6 hours of sleep a day based on assigned work projects that basically contribute to the common goal of maintaining a roving machine that carries ballistic missiles, fleet missiles, and yes, nuclear weapons – and these guys are strung up on a pot of caffeine a day each? Hmmm, maybe it’s not such a good idea. Go-Go Juice here, takes on a whole new meaning. Whew! Join me tomorrow for another week of family, trivia, ideas, employment and whatever else pops up. Enjoy your Sunday!