PART 2 of 2

 Continuing from my earlier post, if you will take the time to read these you’ll come away with an enlightened perspective on living life to its fullest potential!

* I’ve learned…. That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

* I’ve learned…. That love, not time, heals all wounds.

* I’ve learned… That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

* I’ve learned…. That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

* I’ve learned… That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

* I’ve learned…. That life is tough, but I’m tougher.

* I’ve learned…. That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

* I’ve learned…. That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

* I’ve learned…. That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

* I’ve learned…. That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

* I’ve learned…. That I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

* I’ve learned…. That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.

* I’ve learned…. That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

Off the soapbox for awhile now…hope you found something of interest in here.  If so, let me hear from you!

Part 1 of 2

If you will take the time to read these you’ll come away with an enlightened perspective. The subjects covered affect us all on a daily basis!

* I’ve learned…. That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

* I’ve learned…. That just one person saying to me, “You’ve made my day!” makes my day.

* I’ve learned…. That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

* I’ve learned…. That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

* I’ve learned…. That I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help him in some other way.

* I’ve learned…. That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

* I’ve learned…. That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

* I’ve learned…. That life is like a roll of toilet paper.  The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

* I’ve learned…. That it’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular!  

* I’ve learned…. That under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

* I’ve learned…. That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

Maybe you’ve heard or read the phrase “Success leaves clues.” Hopefully, you’re also aware that failure also leaves clues. Do you think people are paying attention to those clues?

During this current recession, the number of millionaires in the United States has dropped by 18 percent. That is a huge number.

But you can be fairly confident that those 18 percent will be just fine. In fact, they will regain millionaire status in a short time and will probably actually exceed their net worth heading into the recession. Why? Because people who achieve what must be achieved to attain millionaire status have something in common:

Successful people learn from failure. As I said, “Failure leaves clues.”

And so as the financial system as a whole (hopefully) takes some lessons away from this recession, so will the millionaires who have endured a few recent bumps. I don’t know what all those lessons will be — maybe more diversification, less speculation, lower-risk tolerances, etc. — but the millionaire mind-set will be “What has this taught me?” And they will use the knowledge re-make and then keep their millions.

Winston Churchill once issued one of my favorite quotes of all time: “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” I think that if you can manage to view failures as lessons, then you have a much better chance of maintaining the enthusiasm that Churchill talked about.

What if you, as a baby, had completely given up trying to walk after falling the first couple of times? You’d never walk, right?

Instead, you kept getting up, time after time, until you were able to wobble around slowly at first, then eventually run. If you’ve watched a baby trying to walk, I think you’ve seen the enthusiasm from failure to failure that Churchill mentions. That baby never gives up, never loses his or her enthusiasm, despite “failure” after “failure.”

So what happens to that persistence as we get older? Why are we, as children, more persistent, more determined than we are as adults?

You have to answer that question for yourself. But part of being successful is never losing that drive you had as a child. Think about all the “failures” you have growing up — when you’re learning to walk, ride a bike, throw a ball, tie your shoes, whatever — did you ever stop trying? Chances are you can now do all those things.

Somehow, as a child, your ability to self-correct and your determination and persistence carried the day.

I think those who are ultra-successful as adults are the ones who never lose those qualities from childhood. If at first they don’t succeed, they try and try again. It’s why many millionaires have failed businesses, bad investments, even bankruptcies, in their pasts. They have these failures and they learn from them, they BENEFIT from them. Those failures enhance who they are, what they know, what they’re prepared for going forward. The failures are part of their success.

Is it difficult for you to see it that way? It really shouldn’t be. 

Even a baby can do it.

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3.Keep learning.  Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever, even ham radio. Never let the brain idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ And the devil’s family name is Alzheimer’s.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.  Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it.  If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally used up and worn out, shouting ” ….wow….man, what a ride!”

 Hope you enjoy these…I sure do!

Wish I knew who said it first , but my memory seems to be failing me a bit!

A thought for today…

Years ago I heard a story of a dad named Paul who gave his young son a small chalkboard to practice writing on. One evening his son called out from the bedroom, “Dad, how do you spell best?”

Paul answered him. Moments later, the boy hollered, “How do you spell kid?”

Finally he asked, “How do you spell ever?”

When the boy showed him what he’d written on the chalkboard, Paul expected to see “I’m the best kid ever.” Instead, the boy beamed as Paul read the message: “You’re the best dad a kid can ever have.”

Paul recalled that it was one of the best days of his life. In fact, he had to buy his son another chalkboard because he wanted to save this message forever and hang it on his wall. It’s still there. Feeling appreciated is enormously important to adults as well as children. So much so that we often don’t think enough about what we’d most like to be appreciated for.

Being appreciated at work is a big deal. Who doesn’t want approval and respect from one’s boss and coworkers? Beyond the economic value of raises, promotions, and commendations, praise can be gratifying and motivating. That’s why good employers look for opportunities to acknowledge and thank employees for their contributions.

Yet as meaningful as work recognition is, if you could choose between winning your child’s “Best Mom/Dad a Kid Can Ever Have” award and being named “Best Employee,” which would you choose? The point is not to belittle the pursuit of approval in your business life but to remind you how much more meaningful it is to know you’re important to and appreciated by the people who love and need you the most.

Your most important job in life is to be worthy of that appreciation. Being the “best ever” mom or dad, husband or wife, or friend – it doesn’t get any better than that.

- Michael Josephson “Character Counts“

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good, if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can’t dance well.  Just get up and dance.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons… Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull.  Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Merry Christmas to one and all, and Best Wishes for a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow! That was pretty much what everyone in Austin was talking about the past few days, in anticipation of today’s rare weather pattern which was to bring several inches of snow to the Austin, Texas area and surrounding counties.

Even local weather casters and the front page of the Austin American Statesman reported an expected 2 – 4 inches of accumulation, which on Thursday sent hoarders to the grocery stores, shoppers to the clothing stores for warm articles, and commuters to the gas lines to fill up their tanks.

Several after-school activities were cancelled by local school districts…as early as Wednesday, and the Lake Travis School District sent it’s students home at midday … quite coincidental since their LT Cavaliers were playing in a state football playoff game this evening down in San Marcos!

Even some social activities and holiday gatherings were suspended in advance, to avoid “weather delays” and/or for “safety reasons.”

When it started falling from the sky, around 11am, workers rushed out of their office buildings to open their mouths to the sky and catch a rare snowflake on their tongue. The flurries lasted about 45 minutes or so, and then most workers returned inside to their wrarm and cozy offices. But some chose to take the afternoon off and not “get stuck in the snow!”

Ahh…this is Austin, people!  Snow?  What’s that?  If we get snow at all, it rarely sticks to the ground, and hardly EVER accumulates.  Shudders…and here I thought we had so many folks relocating to Austin from the Northeast…don’t they know how to drive in snow?

Ho Ho Ho…Happy Holidays!

Fine Living in Austin (or anywhere, for that matter) often requires a command of the English language. Instead of using terms like “Whatchamacallit” or “Thingamajig”, being able to identify these everyday objects might just come in handy if you’re trying to impress that special someone in your life.

For example … did you know that a BOBECHE is a collar on a candle that catches wax drips?

Try to see how many of these you can correctly identify:

1.       AGLET

a.       A bill on a baseball cap

b.      A fold of cartilage outside the ear

c.       The sheath at the end of a shoelace

2.       BESOM

a.       The second horn of a rhinoceros

b.      A broom made of twigs

c.       A coal miner’s headlamp

3.       CROTCHET

a.       A nutcracker

b.      A dust ball

c.       A quarter note in music

4.       TITTLE

a.       A bell on a bicycle

b.      The dot over the letter “I”

c.       A gap between front teeth

5.       CLAQUE

a.       People paid to applaud a show

b.      A group of ducks

c.       A windmill blade

6.       ZILLS

a.       Cat’s whiskers

b.      Holes in Swiss cheese

c.       Dancer’s finger cymbals

7.       GNOMON

a.       The shadow-casting part of a sundial

b.      A pencil stub

c.       A wisdom tooth

8.       ROWEL

a.       The wheel on a cowboy’s spur

b.      A ring left by a wet glass

c.       A curve banister

9.       SAMARA

a.       Headscarf worn by Muslim women

b.      Tile in a mosaic

c.       Winged fruit of certain trees

10.   ULLAGE

a.       A radiator’s air valve

b.      Unfilled space in a wine bottle

c.       The uneaten portion of a meal

Think you guessed them all correctly?

Answers below.

DON’T PEEK UNLESS YOU’RE FINISHED GUESSING!

ANSWERS

1.       C

2.       B

3.       C

4.       B

5.       A

6.       C

7.       A

8.       A

9.       C

10.   B

The Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) is conducting it’s 2009 Austin Theme Song Contest, and we’re taking this opportunity to plug a friend of ours who has been selected as a finalist!

Yes, the ACVB thinks we need a “power ballad” to tell others why Austin is such a great place to live, and one of the five finalists (out of over 100 entrants!) is Jimmy Shortell, a local musician singer/songwriter that you probably never heard of…but he’s a friend so I’m doing this shameless plug to get you to vote for his ballad. It’s actually pretty clever!

But you’ve gotta place your vote by May 5th!   Here’s the link:  http://www.austintexas.org/musicians/contest_index

and of course, he’s positioned #4 on the ballot (in case you need your reading glasses!!)

Austin IS truly a wonderful place to live, and all of these songwriters have crafted very unique tunes to sum up what makes our city special, so I hope you enjoy a bit of musical entertainment from your friends at Fine Austin Living.

And a one..and a two…   VOTE FOR JIMMY!

Here are the answers to our Austin Christmas holiday quiz…how did you rate?

How many of the following Christmas tunes can you identify in FIVE MINUTES?   

Example:             Noisy hollow metal devices:        Jingle Bells

1.       Small city in Judea :  O Little Town of Bethlehem

2.       Colorless Yuletime:  White Christmas

3.       Singular yearning for twin anterior incisors:  All I want for Christmas is My 2 Front Teeth

4.       Loyal followers advance: O Come All Ye Faithful

5.       Righteous Darkness: O Holy Night

6.       Weather: cloudless / Arrival time:  2400 hours:  It Came Upon a Midnite Clear

7.       Far off in a feeder:   Away in a Manger

8.       Array the corridors:  Deck The Halls!

9.       Bantam percussionist:  Little Drummer Boy

10.   Monarchial triad:  We Three Kings

11.   Nocturnal noiselessness:  Silent Night

12.   Father Christmas en-route to borough:  Santa Claus is Coming to Town

13.   Initial Christmas:  The First Noel

14.   Frozen precipitation commence:  Let It Snow!

15.   Proceed and enlighten on the pinnacle:  Go, Tell it on the Mountain

16.   The quadruped with the vermillion proboscis:  Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

17.   Query regarding identity of descendant:  What Child Is This?

18.   Delight for this planet:  Joy To The World

19.   Give attention to the melodious celestial beings:  Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

20.   Hence arriveth Kris Kringle:  Here Comes Santa Claus

21.   To descry matriarchal osculation of Yuletide anthropomorphism:  I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

22.   At the zenith of habitat:  Up on the RoofTop

23.   Endocarps vesicated in a conflagration:  Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

24.   Jehovah dulcify blithe chevaliers:  God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

25.   The dozen festive 24-hour intervals:  The Twelve Days of Christmas

Grade yourself:

0-5         Scrooge..bah humbug!

6-10       One of Santa’s reindeer…but you need to hone your talents

11-15     You’re giving Rudolph a run for his money

16-20     Ho-ho-ho – vying for Santa’s #1 elf, are we?

21-25     A spot is reserved for you in Seminary

Happy Holidays to all of our friends, family, acquaintances and loyal followers, and we especially wish you and your loved ones a Joyous 2009 from all of us at The RealtyPro Team. 

If we can be of service to you on those you know with real estate transactions in the Austin, Texas area, please visit us online at www.FineAustinLiving.com or give us a call at 512-402-9800