How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

This is an interesting question that someone asked me recently...actually stopped me dead in my tracks because it was not something that I could answer quickly...and I wondered why I had to stop and think about what the answer would be...so here it is:

What legacy would you like to leave behind? When you are no longer on this earth or no longer at your current job; what do you want people to remember about you...what would you like to be remembered for?

Hmmm....

"There’s a little truth behind every ‘just kidding’, a little curiosity behind every ‘just wondering’, a little knowledge behind every ‘I don’t know’, and a little emotion behind every ‘I don’t care'.''

Chicago in the Winter?

Who in the heck goes to Chicago in the middle of the winter? I know..right...nuts! So I get in on Tuesday and early this morning the snow started....it hasn't stopped all day and now at 10:45PM it is still crazy snowing! Oh well...sometimes we just have to do what we have to do...

We are in the middle of a conversion with a company in Chicago and so my Business Manager and I braved the cold to do some on-site training for the new processers. Dealing with the cold and the snow has really not been a problem and our gracious hosts have been a joy to spend the week with.

One of the best things about these trips is meeting such energetic and brilliant people. Spending time in this forum allows us to see how other companies prepare for new business and how they interact and work together. I am always amazed at how their teams interlock and cruise together through these processes. You can always tell who will be successful in these ventures and who will fail miserably...in this instance this group has their act together and will definately be successful because their team communicates with each other and most importantly they have relationships of respect. They are not afraid to ask questions and listen to feedback - that is a team that wants to be successful because failure is not an option for them!

Happy New Year - Make 2010 Your Best Ever!

Today is the first day of 2010…did you stay up last night and ring in the New Year? I hate to admit it…but I was in bed…I know…sad right? I have never been much on ringing in the New Year…if I make it till midnight it is usually very low key and at home.

I love that people celebrate the New Year with hats, horns, music and fireworks…we love new beginnings, don’t we? It’s the chance for a ‘do over’…the chance to get rich this year…the opportunity to finally make it work… The New Year has always been a self inflicted dose of motivation for many, many people. It’s their chance of saying its okay to start over and I am going to do better this year!

I think we all agree that this New Year probably means more to us than most; Americans need a new year…we need a new start…its time to release all the negative that happened in 2009 and get everything back on track. I know many suffered great losses in 2009 and are still struggling and my prayers go out to them. I thank God everyday for my blessings and my life…my family who loves and supports me every single day…my friends who guide my direction, support my passions and love me without judgment and the people that I work with who care and make my work possible.

I hope you smile more this year…and laugh when you see something funny. Love more and be open to what comes your way. Don’t be afraid of being hurt or failing…if you love someone…tell them…if you need something…get it. 2010 is my year for being silly when I want to be and taking advantage of every single moment I have…what are you going to allow yourself this year?

So if you did make those New Years Resolutions for a new and improved year…stick with them this time…make 2010 a different year than any of the rest because I think that 2010 is going to be a special year for all of us!