Building Relationships 101
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Good morning, this is Linda Gullo. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you!
Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments where small achievements may become big accomplishments. Our small steps and daily habits can still take us to far away places and help us meet success by repeating them.
Hopefully, here, at Mini Miracles from Minor Moments you will find an insight about yourself. My plan is to help you like yourself and love life. It is meant to help you recognize the gifts you have been given and that they are meant to be enjoyed. We all have gifts and until someone or some experience shows us, we often miss seeing them. Instead we get caught up seeing our less admirable behaviors.
This week I’ve been thinking a great deal about the relationships that each of us is blessed with--Our wonderful family members and friends that are presented to us during different times in life.
So let the stories begin. The first is about my mother. She died some 35 years years ago, but Sunday’s were her day to shine. She loved having dinner for the family. We all knew it would be served at 1 o’clock and like a magnet we were drawn home. Even though our kitchen was small, the meals that came out of it were simply delicious, tasty, and fabulous. As a teenager my first use of the car was to go get Grandma from her apartment and bring her home to have dinner with us. She always came to be with us on Sundays and usually came with a shopping bag of fresh fruit from the fruit market. She’d also have things for each of us and her crocheting to keep her busy.
Mother’s old stove would have been turned on after the morning church service. The oven was filled with a roast, casserole, beans, or specialty. On top, the burners had vegetables and side dishes steaming. Mom always cooked plenty so we’d have dinners and lunches for the following days. She might have made a cake or pie earlier or jello was the dessert. My husband, who I was dating in college would come in and affectionately hug my mom. They had a great alliance early on and Sunday dinners seemed to connect them even more. He’d begin by guessing what we were having for dinner by the wonderful aroma from the kitchen. He was usually “right on”, My mom enjoyed this guessing game until the year when she got a new stove. The oven was sealed so well that those beautiful cooking smells weren’t flooding through the house like they used to do. She also missed the warming pilot lights were the bread would be rising or the garlic butter melting. That change made the game less fun.
Progress in sealing the ovens was good in some respects, but it changed the family dynamics. And I have noticed and perhaps you have also that with every new and improved appliance, phone, or car, some things that we really like are lost.
I am thinking of all the digital marketing, photography, and social media, in how we instantly connect with one another. It has it ups and downs. We may be seeing more photos and expressing the momentary highlights or complaints on Facebook, but doing business, exchanging quotes online, and sending out a quick thank you in the form of texts have somehow disconnected us. There is a loss in the personal aspects our generations once had. I am thinking of the “day long picnics” and going to show as a group–these provided us with great joy. We talk all week about the silly joke or the bird that landed on the table as we put out the food.
The intent of thinking about one another is a fleeting thought. It is so unlike the thoughtfully written out Birthday card or lovely note to someone recovering from an illness. We don’t engage in the conversations we once did over a cup of coffee– where one could feel the emotions of them getting the job. Or sharing the sadness over the death of a family pet. Their is a joy that comes from the spontaneous laughter and banter that goes on when people are together. We see one another’s body language and can feel when they are passionate about their hobby or limping due to a fall.
Recently I was introduced to the idea of a memory stone. Each stone represents an experience one writes down. It is to recognize something that changed our path or redirected us into a different way of thinking. Ironically the really significant moments for me were surprisingly selective and few, but they included another person, who in some way helped me find direction.
I challenge you today to start creating a MEMORY STONE MOMENT. It is something that moved you forward and helped make you the person you are today. The second part of the challenge is to be part of someone else’s memory stone. Will you be serving as a mentor for a neighbor? Perhaps a relevant person in the community food pantry? What do you do that might impact someone else?
When I was in College, I worked one summer with a lady who was always so tidy and appropriate in the way she dressed. I suspect she was in her late 30’s, quick witted, and very professional. She taught me to use a switchboard which had many incoming and outgoing calls throughout the day. It was an international business and so calls needed to have the times and details noted. It had a plug in arrangement to learn well. She had a system in place that obviously she had designed. It worked well and she was an excellent teacher insisting that no step be missed.
I found out the reason was that each step was needed especially when multiple lines began ringing all at once. And they did quite often. In our time together, she shared she had a stroke when her children were small. They actually helped her learn to speak and read again. They helped her walk and get her strength back.
Her witness to me was undeniably a witness of endurance and resilience. She had fortitude and a character of strength. It was pretty impressive for me to see first hand. I am really sorry that I lost touch with her after that summer. She made a real mark on me seeing that could have been a permanent setback was not one for her. She was able to stay steady in the midst of numerous phone calls because she had also learned to pace herself and prioritize well.
The relationship with her 2 children had to be really close after going through the learning phase in reverse with them.
Relationships are very important. We all need to recognize and see that during these technological times. Are you able to balance the time with family without losing them? So many older people I know are not into their smart phones or computers. They find themselves feeling really lonely at family times. I wonder now how different it would have been at those Sunday dinners if we had all marched in texting others or watching the sports on them. There wouldn’t have been the silly conversations or card games after dinner. We would have been disconnected while being together.
Another thought hit me as I was outlining this Podcast. It was of a lady who I had met via the telephone. She would answer the telephone at a church. Whenever I’d call she would engage in thoughtful conversation with me and often take down my message. Her voice was upbeat and cheerful and very polite! I hope I was the same to her. Years afterwards, I learned she was bedridden with a disease that had disabled her. Wow to have such a wonderful attitude in spite of her own situation. My point being that we often don’t know what others are going through if we don’t engage on a personal one-on-one level.
My mother’s uncles owned a farm in North Judson, Indiana. We would often go there for 4 day Holidays to visit. All the cousins were bunked on blankets lined up on the floor while the adults got the cots and beds. We’d giggle as kids often do and listen to the country sounds. The trains entering town, the morning owls, and the morning roosters were more than just something we read about in books. It was real. And so were the sounds of rain and the dirty feet from running barefoot. Our shoes, if we wore them, had to be shook out because they’d be full of sand. Our moms were always sweeping the floors in the morning after breakfast so the linoleum floors didn’t scuff up so fast. Being involved as an extended family was fun and created close relationships during that generation.
Today I have shared several short stories about relationships with my own family and acquaintances. I challenge you to do the same. Maybe it was on a vacation where you learned about some friends? or a gathering for a toddler’s birthday? A wedding of a neighbor who is close to you?
Transform your year! It is still only March. Pursue your dreams and continually set new goals for yourself. Have a great weekend and week ahead as you step forward. Remember that a “single step may put you on the escalator of success!” Have a great weekend and I will see you then.
How Do You Hear Success?
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Introduction by Jim Haisler (thanks to Jim!)
Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments where small achievement may become big accomplishments. Our small steps and habits can still take us to far away places by repeating them.
Hopefully, here at Mini Miracles from Minor Moments, where you’ll find of insights and knowledge about yourself. My plan is to help you like yourself and love life. It is meant to help you recognize the gifts you have been given. We all have these gifts and until someone or some experience shows us, we often miss seeing them. Instead we get caught up seeing our less admirable behaviors.
Hi, this is Linda Gullo and every week I share a few thoughts with you to inspire and get you thinking about your own life. Today, I’d like to ask you the question, “What does Success Sound like to you?”
When children are little, a mother listens to hear laughter and silly banter between the children playing nearby in the yard. She listens to hear if there is a problem and keeps a keen ear open to any distress. For her, success is hearing the children having fun and playing.
A few years ago there was a fun song called What Does the Fox Say? (by Ylvis) It was a creative and imaginative song that we all were listening to and singing along with on the radio. I guess hearing animals of prey in the distance to prepare encountering while on a camping trip would be successful in keeping everyone safe.
Last night on our local PBS station (WTTW in Chicago) we listened to Andrea Bocelli who paid tribute to songs from famous movies like The Days of Wine and Roses. I watched and listened to a man who is blind and yet so comfortable in singing and playing the piano. During the break the Host of the Show on PBS said she had been to one of his shows and that he was so relaxed singing. His ability to hear the notes and duplicate them was for sure with practice, but also with hearing it well. That is success spelled with a big S.
On an everyday level though success comes at the basketball game or the weekday practice on the school grounds. The sounds of “cheering” on friends spells success to those on the field.
Maybe success is communicating with another person who you needed to share some important things with for a better understanding of what is happening. It may simply listening and being together to heal an old misunderstanding.
After the power goes out in our home from some major power problem, it is unusually quiet for we have a well that also shuts down. When the power returns, it is the sound of having running water again. That is an awesome sound we take for granted.
Years ago we had a big, fawn colored Boxer named Lord of Regal Domain. He was fearless until it came to the overhead Hot Air Balloons that would come over our house in 3’s. As the balloons let out air to raise up the sounds could be heard in the distance and he would head for the back door of the house. To him it was ominous and threatening. To me it spelled success that the balloons were working and in the area.
Tomorrow I am heading out to the Geneva area for one of the Productions of the Wizard of Oz. I am told it is a very long production and yet great. In the past when I attend these singing and dancing theatrical presentations, the kids long for the responses of the audience (which by the way is right there next to them–it is performed in a very small space), the expressions of the audience are watched by the children and they light up when the clapping takes place. It puts smiles on their faces.
In business, success sounds like the phone ringing with a new client or the sound of someone walking into the office. It may be that you have just done a live presentation and it was well received with applause.
If you drive a car, the sound of the car starting is strangely a good feeling. It lets you know you are able to proceed on the way to your destination. If the sounds coming out are odd or rumbling, it may likewise tell you to get service.
In the event of a problem, sounds tells us that help is on the way, when you hear an ambulance or fire truck arriving.
The taking off of an airplane engines is a relief when you’re going up and the sound of the landing gear touching the runway is a relief upon arriving. That is success spelled in the way of joy and a big sigh that you have reached your destination—namely the ground in a safe way.
So it is as we proceed thru life that success can take on many different dimensions. Do you spell success in a different way? Next time you are thinking you are not a success, just think of all the sounds that are around you and encouraging you to step ahead.
Listen carefully from now on and see how sounds around you can make you feel better. Listen to the people speaking for clues of acceptance or rejection. Follow your gut when things sound oddly wrong. But then delight when things are happy and empowering.
Please join me here regularly at Mini Miracles. Each episode is based on simple and real stories. These short podcast episodes are jam packed with upbeat and encouraging tidbits for you to take along for the week.
There are so many things I’d like to provide for you. If this is your first time listening to me, you know that this is a treat for me. Podcasting allows me to reach out of the 4 corners of my office where I work as a Counselor and Transitional Life Coach. If you would like either service you can call our office at 815-459-5161 during the week or email me at linda@delightinliving.com I want to be part of your day as inspiration. I invite you to like yourself and enjoy life. Our Coaching services are available in different packages on line and over the phone to serve your needs when it comes to Changing Jobs, The Loss of a Loved One, the Empty House Syndrome, or just learning to feel your best at any stage of life. Mini Miracles provides handouts and encouragement while we serve you.
Have a fruitful week of Successful sounds and emerging joy. Bye for now and see you next week.
People Embracing People
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Hi, this is Linda Gullo with your weekly update on living a life with meaning and hope. Here at Mini Miracles from Minor Moments, you’ll find of insights and knowledge about yourself through the short stories. My plan is to help you like yourself and recognize the gifts you have been given. We all have them and until someone or some experience shows us, we often miss seeing them.
Podcasts can be accessed on your smart phones or on our website lindagullo.com weekly.
It is easy to listen to these podcasts in your car. Just hit the media selection and make sure you follow us on your Podcast feed. When you plan to be in and out of the car running short errands I’ll be there to encourage you. Please subscribe to our feed, Mini Miracles from Minor Moments, and share it with others.
There are so many things I’d like to provide for you. If this is your first time listening to me, you know that this is a treat for me. Podcasting allows me to reach out of the 4 corners of my office where I work as a Counselor and Business Coach. I want to be part of your day as inspiration. I invite you to like yourself and will be offering stories to inspire you.
So today’s story is about People. Loving, kind, and generous people who are great at Hospitality. Have you ever been warmly welcomed into a new situation and appreciated the time and kindness shown to you? Well I have on quite a few occasions. As a matter of fact, I try to do the same for others as they in my office. I know they are coming in to resolve issues. I don’t want to add to their anxiety by making their first visits uncomfortable.
Several years ago my daughter and I went to Dublin, Ireland. You know how it is, going to a place for the first time. Well traveling to a new country is no different- even for those who are seasoned travelers.
We were with a church group, but we did have time to roam in each of the towns we stayed at–so one afternoon towards the end of our trip, we returned to the town of Dublin.
We were let off the bus in town and had a list of places we wanted to check out. We had wanted to find this place the visit before and didn’t have enough time.
It was a cold, windy, and rainy day in Fall. Our coat hoods were flying off and the rain was rather intense. We walked around for awhile until we came upon the address we were looking for- when we realized the building was empty and the site had moved.
Our spirits instantly deflated. We were disappointed-to say the least. We were looking for a Wax Museum, and we both had set our intentions on going there! Now even more driven to find it, we pulled out our maps and pointed ourselves in the direction of the new address. Off we went. Our umbrellas were of no use in the wind so the walk was intense.
We had learned on a previous visit to Dublin that people were kind and always good at directing us. They often used the word “Junction” to designate turning at a stop sign or building so we learned early on to ask for specifics. Neither of us realized how much walking it would entail, but after wandering around and not finding the spot for a good 15 minutes, we asked 2 young girls walking past us, where we would find the address.
They asked us what was located at that address. We told them it was the Wax Museum. They chattered between themselves for a moment said they knew where it was. One began explaining and then said, “Oh come, follow us, we will just take you there!” Well we were glad they did for we would never have found it on our own!
Neither of them were warmly dressed, but rather in lightweight dresses and in heels. Both were High School students about 16 years old, who had come into town for the day to shop and meet other friends.
In the journey to our destination, both of them asked questions about Chicago and how much they desired to come to the United States. They wanted to know about the USA and when my daughter told them she had a daughter their age, they instantly began talking about school, clothes, and typical teenager thoughts.
They moved quickly around buildings into what looked like the back of an alleyway. It led us to an old Bank building. And there it was –a museum inside an old bank.
Linda meets Batman!
Now they leaned in to give us hugs and thanked us for the time to chat with them. What great hospitality they provided and yet they were thanking us. WOW. Sometimes the best part of a day, is the surprised we have showered upon us by people. It was a moment of this trip that neither of us will forget. It was the encounter of 2 young people rising above the crowd to take a calculated risk in helping 2 strangers in an unfamiliar place.
Each room would house various wax sculptures. A theme of the “Potato Famine” with people thin and gaunt who had suffered. The whole room brought the history alive. Another room featured the pop culture-the Beatles and other singers. A landing had several Popes — all so lifelike. There were featured writers and interactive wax sculptures to have photos taken. On my website, you see I met Batman. He was rather charming.
The trip to find this museum was definitely worth it, but the best part was the life giving qualities of the girls that led us to it. They were trusting indeed and so energetic. They had personality plus.
Can you imagine a book of delight-filled stories like this? Well, soon I will be releasing Pathways to Delight in Living and hope you will be here for that Publication.
So I ask you,
“When was the last time you were warm and hospitable to someone coming into your life?”
“When was the last time you were warmly invited into someone else’s space?”
“Did you extend an olive branch or create an opportunity for growth, and restoration of the human spirit?” This is the first week of the Lenten season and many of us are trying to do positive and kind things for one another.
Please join me here regularly at Mini Miracles. Each episode is based on simple stories. These show stopping podcasts last only about 10 or 15 minutes, but are jam packed with upbeat and encouraging tidbits for you to take along. Use your God given qualities to build on and keep moving forward. If you would like to recommend a guest or do a guest blog, I’d love to talk with you.
Until next week, stay true to yourself. Thank you for listening and for the kind feedback I have received. Know you can reach me through the website at lindagullo.com
Feel free to sign up for free handouts. Recognize the good people around you, the small joys that carry you forward and the laughable moments. Look for those Mini Miracles that grow into better and bigger things to help you Delight in Living.
Remember that “One single step may put you on the escalator of success.” Bye for now and have a great week.
Appetite for Success
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Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments, where suddenly your daily events begin to overflow with great joy.
This is Linda Gullo and I’m happy you are joining me this week for a short update on some recent activities. If you’d like to join me in the future or have stories to share, feel free to connect at lindagullo.com. In the meantime I hope you enjoy this weeks story! I hope it inspires you to forge ahead.
Today I’d like to talk about the Appetite for Success. Some people are programmed from early on to be achievers and become perpetual learners. I don’t know how old you are? But, I think this is a very good topic for all ages. Especially in a culture that keeps changing. We do need to keep the values of concern and kindness for each other. It is amazing how little things effect who we are and how we react.
Short cuts work for temporary fixes, but the more determination we have and the work we do, the more it seems to pay off. Small achievements go big. That has been the essence of this blog since its inception. Little steps move us ahead.
Short cuts lack substance. Pushing ourselves to show up is one of the greatest accomplishments there is. Yesterday I showed up for an event that I had said I would participate in. I was part of the Okner Symposium at The University of Wisconsin in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It was my first time visiting the Campus. I must admit that the shift in temperature was a big disappointment or I would have surveyed the Campus more if it wasn’t rainy and cold.
Never-the-less, I was invited to do 3 small breakout sessions with students interested in Podcasting. The day included a keynote speaker, a career panel of successful past students, breakout sessions, and opportunities for networking. The topics covered at the event will included blogging, podcasting, and social media sites. I would have enjoyed attending some of the other breakout sessions.
The Okner Symposium is an Annual Event that rotates between Universities. Each hosting it with a Special Theme. This years Theme was obviously Tools in Digital Marketing. I find this area a very interesting one given that I have never considered myself a good marketing person. My business has done well thanks to other ways of being known. Most of my interacting, prior clients, and community contacts kept me in business. Recently with my interest in keeping up with technology and learning new things (obviously I am a life long learner!), I have realized that marketing is going into a new direction. The students kept telling me it is evolving daily. I can really agree to that and the need to know more and more is relevant.
So first a big shout out to all the students who came to my “break out” sessions. Thank you. I hope I planted seeds that will grow into helpful arenas for you as you enter into jobs in Marketing. The one thing that hit me yesterday was that education done formally gives us a formula for success. It teaches us a system of how to make things work for each person. We come to know ourselves better and are lead along course by course. But as we know, the formal process is only one way to learn and we must recognize that.
We need to create our own systems and continue to create them for ourselves. Set up small repeatable actions that will get things done. Jobs can teach us those tools too. Setting up systems to complete tasks can be as easy as making worthwhile lists of prioritizing what we need to do.
The season of Lent begins next week on Ash Wednesday. Live it up on Mardi Gras Tuesday when one celebrates with Carnival-like enthusiasm, and then put into action a new system for the Lenten Season. Maybe it is an approach to eating, studying, or work. Something as easy as having a salad for lunch each day without bread, chips, or carbs. Coming into work a half hour earlier could be helpful. Perhaps praying more each day or attending a Bible study. It may mean sacrificing.
Linda lists a few options for Lent. check the podcast to hear them.
So that wraps up today’s podcast. Please take time to relish all the Mini Miracles that continue to shower and bless you. We’ll be back next week so please check in. Thanks!
Our Guest Today is Mike Splitt
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Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments where you’ll find small insightful incentives to blossom.
Hi, I am Linda Gullo, your Host! Today I am pleased to welcome Mike Splitt to our Delight in Living Office to share a few thoughts with you.
Mike is a charismatic fellow who shares about his recent move to a new location within Crystal Lake and tells us a little about what brought him to the area originally. He has won many Awards in his field and from our Chamber of Commerce. Mikes attitude has carried him far and he continues to set an example for all of us!
He is a definitely involved in our Community of Crystal Lake, Illinois and brings an entrepreneurial spirit to us. Hope you’ll catch the fever of becoming more involved in your community after “meeting” Mike.
Enjoy!
www.in-syncsystems.com
Mike shared the book, What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles
What Kind of Investigator Are You?
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Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments where you’ll find small insightful incentives to blossom.
Here is a page of a cut out magnifying glass that was in my Journal. What do you see when you look through it?
Hi, I am Linda Gullo, your Host and I come to you on a weekly basis. Sometimes I am alone and other times with a guest. Today I am alone. And I thought about investigating and finding solutions. So what kind of an investigator are you when it comes to finding solutions? Do you automatically know where to turn for answers? Well I don’t! I need to reflect–even if it is just for a short time. I think first of all the people I know who could be resourceful. People who I trust that can resolve the issue or point me in the right direction. I need to understand the whole picture before making a decision.
Here’s an example of “purchasing a desk.” Please follow along to the end of this 10 minute Podcast to figure out a few clues! Listen to some of the possible strategies to resolve issues. After all, evaluating ideas can be fun and enlightening. Happy navigating this week no matter how you choose to go about it!
Here are some sites to check out Calming music:
Focus Music: Find it on the Internet!
www.relaxingrecords.com
www.focusatwill.com
www.webmd.com/balance/guide
Do You Ask Permission?
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Intro by Jim Haisler
Hi, This is Mini Miracles from Minor Moments, where good things are flooding your way in small pieces and you may not even recognize it! I am your host Linda Gullo. This broadcast comes from the town of Crystal Lake, IL which is near the Wisconsin border and it comes to you on a weekly basis. It is usually a short 10-15 minute episode to brighten your day and to spark a few thoughts.
As I woke up this morning, the glimmer of the snow told me the sun was up and shining. Wow, what a beautiful look. The patio and sidewalk had been shoveled; already the snow was melting, but the cover over the grass and trees was clean and still had a fresh look – like a smoothly laid out blanket. We all needed a touch of sunshine for our dispositions in the middle of this winter and I began soaking it up. It is a gift from God that elevates our spirits and pushes us to stay on task–whatever that is for each of us.
As I got into the car and saw a pile of gloves on the front seat, I had a flash back to a family night’s activities. It was at a new grammar school when my daughter was in 2nd grade. It was her first year in this school because the boundaries of our community had changed and she was now being bused across town. I was not a happy camper as we tried to keep our kids together as much as possible. We had moved into our home thinking our family would be settled her for years and not moved from school to school. Ha-that would be far from the truth. We have been here for years, but staying in the same schools was not in the forecast. Certain things are not in our control. I remember going to a meeting to voice an opinion about the boundary changes and was told that there was nothing more to be said and that was how it was going to be. I remember thinking either I could be grumpy about it or make the best of it. I went with the second option.
A few weeks later there was a parent night for families to gather at the new school. We were encouraged to attend, so my husband and the kids all rallied there after dinner for the open house and meeting. The evening turned out to be a fun one. As we walked around the building there were announcements. One was to check the lost and found for items our children may have lost in the last quarter. We were so busy looking at her locker and finding her room that we continued on our pathway to a larger room for information.
Big brother had appointed himself as the person to go check the lost and found. I remember seeing him approach us with an armful of winter clothing. Yes, it was all his sisters. Our little girl was always losing mittens and scarves. He had claimed all of her stuff while we were touring the school. I realized how often he looked after her in subtle ways. As I think of this story I also think of her now. She has a memory that is sharper than sharp and with 7 children I guess one needs to be on top of things.
Who gives you permission to do things? Our son had commissioned himself to take responsibility for getting his sisters possessions back. That was a good thing and an insight for me. We don’t always need for someone to tell us what to do.
I think too about how different each of us are when it comes to habits. Habits that add up to give us different results. Whether it comes to saving a certain amount out of each paycheck, going to the get gas on the same day or same place each week, or attending the yearly Auto Show, helps us become the person we are.
Which, by the way, I digress here. I heard on the radio this morning was Auto Show is coming to Chicago at Mc Cormick Place from February 11th to the 20th. (www.chicagoautoshow.com) .
That same brother who claimed his sisters possessions from the lost and found, was the boy who would fold and return his brown bag from lunch each day to me. He was tidy and organized and held onto his possessions. He always saved the directions and boxes from his things and knew where to find his stuff. He still has that ability to organize and follow through. I think he learned early on that lending out his stuff to the wrong people or taking something special to school wasn’t the best idea.
We all learn from our own experiences along the way. We learn to prioritize. That takes years–well into our 20’s before we get our act together. Our daily routines provide a script for us of what we are to do to make ourselves feel good. We check our mail, fill the car with gas, pay our bills, go to store for groceries, and return phones calls. Not all in that order, but you understand. We are called to follow through and no one hands us the list of to-do’s as we get older. No one says, “you have to go to the dentist”. The garbage needs to be taken out. It’s so and so’s birthday and II had better get that card in the mail. Whatever you do, you know is what is expected of you.
I was with a long time friend for breakfast this past week. We try to get together every few weeks to compare notes and inspire each other. She is always dressed to perfection; classy and up-to-date and yet so sensible about things. Our children are in the same age range, our professions although different seem to compliment one another. She is in sales in the printing industry and an entrepreneur.
In our most recent conversation she was telling me of a man who decided he was not going to shower each day. He just didn’t want or see the need to do that. I am not sure those around him agreed, but it made me think that often we let ourselves off the hook when we don’t want to do something that takes energy. Maybe it is more than just prioritizing. We may find ourselves with poor self talk. Or sliding into a depression. 
When people retire, they need to replace the work day with something that gives them purpose and keeps them in the circle of other people. Perhaps it is getting up each morning and meeting friends for breakfast or to get to church. Maybe it is setting up a schedule to play chess or meet at the local YMCA? People still need people and they don’t have to be like-minded, but they need to be able to stay connected.
So just a quick wrap up here. Stay connected with your friends, learn along with others about the status of things, grow with your children and their interests. Become a catalyst, which is my goal in helping people as a coach to become their very best. Be diligent in following through with habits that work well for you. Continue to keep motivated and being an positive influence; not a downer for others. Check in with yourself about that–are you putting on the brakes to stop learning? Are you willing to just complain and vocalize to anyone who’ll listen? What are you contributing to the next generation?
Contact Linda at www.lindagullo.com or linda@delightinliving.com If you like our weekly podcasts, please subscribe and give us a good review at I-tunes! Thanks and have a good week. Remember: “One single step may put you on the escalator of success!”
One Single Step …
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Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments where you’ll find small insightful incentives to blossom.
Hi, I am Linda Gullo, your Host. Today I have been thinking about the many opportunities there are for being creative. From the time I was a toddler, I’d play with a big cookie tin filled with buttons. I remember matching them up and sorting them by color and size. I’d do it over and over again. My mothers sewing stuff kept me intrigued for hours while she would sew baby bonnets for a hat company.
I developed a love for fabrics- the feel of silks, plain cottons, chenille, soft knits and other textures from the pile of scraps mom had accumulated. Both my mother and my grandmother were excellent seamstresses. It sort of became part of my DNA to sew too.
I remember having someone trace me on a piece of shower curtain material that was in mom’s collection of fabrics. I cut the outline out and make a vest using an old industrial sewing machine. I remember oiling the bottom of the material so it would glide easily as I had seen my mom do with plastics. When it was finished it was too small. I had not allowed for the seams and learned quickly that was necessary. That was the first of several attempts that didn’t quite add of to something usable, but I kept trying.
I think about it now and realize that those machines were fast and I could have run my fingers over with the needle. Thank God my mother let me sew; I never did get hurt. Often I would have to rip out my stitches over and over again from mistakes. I’d learn to think before I sewed things so I wouldn’t have to go that route.
I’d go on to make doll clothes and mom taught me to cut out wrap around fashions for them. I realize now that fabric is like a canvas board for an artist or a piece of paper for a writer. It is blank and offers a place for creativity. It is one of those things that allows us to express ourselves and come away with a visual product. Over the years, I covered old furniture, sewed for our family, and decorated our home. My love for linens and textiles still is present.
Now I don’t find the time or the same needs that I once had to be sewing from scratch. If I do get so possessed it is for a one time project that I intentionally make time to do. Instead I have taken to writing, blogging, and sharing on podcasts.
SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS: What area or means do you use to be creative? Where is your canvas? Where do you blossom? Is it along with flowers in the garden or in the local pool teaching others how to swim? Are you a teacher for your own children or a professor at a University? Just what is your fabric for designing the life you long to have?
I was watching a barber cut hair one day and when the person got up out of the chair, they looked so tidy and ready to conquer the world. For the barber, the head offered a canvas for sculpting an appropriate haircut. So maybe you want to be a hair dresser, a physical therapist, a technician, or medic? Is it time to find a new profession?
Watch a dog when it is playful. They will grab a toy, a slipper, or something nearby and begin tossing it or playing keep away. Likewise, children too will play with empty boxes or simple things that roll. Playtime becomes a moment of learning and creativity. One of our grandchildren, who was a toddler at the time, would take her toys and drop them into a swinging lid of a waste basket. We’d have to dump them out of the bin and she’d start again and again. Of course, I kept that plastic can clean knowing it was now a toy. Simple and a place to develop coordination at the same time.
When we learn to entertain ourselves, we are seldom bored. It is good to find time to think and let things come out. I share these modes of expression with you to encourage you to find your palette and passion. Do fun things where you can express yourself.
My husband was a commercial photographer. It brought him great joy to set up props and frame out ideas. He was visually perceptive and to this day does well at seeing the bigger picture when it comes to decorating a room. He can see the colors with the furniture and blend it all together. I will often run colors by him when I am looking a clothes in a catalog or when I want to buy paint for a room.
Here at Mini Miracles the smallest seeds provide opportunities for growth and advancement. Opportunities for enrichment, life changes, and expansion. Our abilities to succeed in various careers were combined with skills learned along the way. Yes through education, life experiences, travel and experimentation, careers develop. Think about a mechanic who has learned to take things apart and reassemble them. The dexterity of screwing and removing parts creates a series of coordinated skills that can carry over into almost any manufacturing company.
My brother was interest as a young teen with crystal sets and radios. People would give him old ones that didn’t work. He’d replace the tubes, solder the resisters or condensers, and put everything back together into working units. His working for hours on end in an old basement near a window became his passion. Fast forward to years later–he’d enter science fairs and win scholarships to college and an Electrical Engineering degree. It was just the beginning of a magnificent career .
What is your story? How did you learn? Was it hands on, watching how something was done, or listening to tapes? We have one child who would sing along to music from other countries. Her ability to listen and hear well allowed her Bilingual skills to soar. Our skills are polished with practice and can be applied in so many arenas. Thinking outside the box is essential to excel in this world. Yes, the technology is great and the opportunities for performing may be different than it was 10 years ago, but the baseline skills we learn in school and around the house growing up can move us into wonderful entertaining professions.
So pursue what it is you like to do. Find mentors in the areas you are interested in learning about, and continue to develop new hobbies at every age. “Find what fits you well and wear it?” That applies to every aspect of your life not just the clothes on your back. And remember too that perfection is nice, but steady progress is better.
Until next week, feel free to contact me through the website www.lindagullo. com or at linda@delightinliving.com If you like our weekly podcasts, please subscribe and give us a good review at I-tunes! Thanks and have a super week. Remember —
“One single step may put you on the escalator of success!”
by Linda Gullo
Attacking Procrastination
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“LIFE IS THE ART OF DRAWING WITHOUT AN ERASER.” John W. Gardner
Do you agree?
Life can be a hassle and it is easy to procrastinate. So here are just a few thoughts on what helps me. Maybe they might help you as well. I hope you’ve had a good week. This is a solo presentation, because the audio went poorly on a Skype interview. With a little luck, next week you may be hearing a guest. To be seen! Meantime, if you like our short podcasts please give us a review on I-tunes and definitely subscribe.
We love hearing from you. This is usually on Facebook and other social media. Thanks and have a great week as it unfolds.
Restoration or Innovation?
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Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments where we are showered with small, but significant joys. New Years bring in opportunities for exploration, change, and diversity! Just a few suggestions to think about. Enjoy!