Last Train to Clarksville

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Proactive or Reactive?

In all areas of our life, not just our job, we might find ourselves more reactive than proactive.  Being Proactive is getting things done before you have to react to the bad that comes from not doing it ahead of time. Normally it is bad things.

When we aren’t proactive we tend to look like we are lazy, don’t care or not very organized. Sometimes we can’t help it that we are reactive, especiallywhen we are so busy it is hard to keep up.  Our intentions are good but our life might be a little chaotic at the time.  That is when I would suggest we stop, look at our life and decide what we can do to make it a little bit more easier.  We are the ones that cause the chaos or serenity.

When we aren’t proactive, people tend to judge.  It’s hard not to judge, it’s our human nature but remember that the measure by which we judge is what we will be putting on our self.  We aren’t here to judge but to love.  Sometimes we think that the way we do things is the right way, the easy way and why in the world would someone do it that way?  Our ways aren’t always best for others.  Our ways aren’t always “right”.  The circumstances that lead us to behave and do things a certain way, then learn huge lessons from the wrong decision, might not be the same for the person next to you.

Everything I write on this blog is my opinion and what has been right for me, my family and my business. Or what was wrong and I learned from it.  What is right for me, might not be the right answer for you.  Everyone has to find their own path.  They can learn from others mistakes and that is why it is so easy to write L-O-N-G posts because the lessons learned are sometimes long to explain.  Hopefully my style of writing keeps you reading and not thinking, “Come on, get to the point.”

So, how can we apply being Proactive instead of being Reactive?

Many ways.  Think about how much easier it would be for you to take the first step instead of waiting for someone to ask you to make it.  The one thing I have a hard time with is someone asking me to do something when I knew I should have done it before they called.  For instance, today I showed 3 properties to a client.  I took down the notes of the feedback and when I got back to my office I decided to go ahead and email the agent to let her know the feedback from my clients.  Doing this has taken a weight off my shoulders knowing that she might have called a couple of days later asking how it went and I would not have my notes with me, so I would have to call her back or not remember which homes were her’s and giving a false feedback on a house because I got two confused!  So instead of being reactive to the problems that would arise, I was proactive and made the first step to let this agent know how my showings went.

I just started this and I find that I feel more organized and in control.  Not only that, but it feels gratifying to know that I am helping someone without them having to ask for it!  How I would love for agents to call or email me and let me know how the showing went instead of me calling them and they are still with their client, or waiting a day and then they are so busy with other homes they need help remembering, “Which one was yours again?”

So, are you Proactive or Reactive? I am making a conscience effort to try and be proactive!

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If you have some experiences you would like to share, please comment below!

Blessings to you and your business.

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Nursing Yourself Back to Health

I recently had surgery and I was told it would take a good month or two to be completely healed.  In knowing this and sharing it with my Mom, she sent me this email that made a lot of sense to me and I wanted to share with you.

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

“One is Evil – It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, ego and fears .

“The other is Good – It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

 

 I thought this would be something that could be applied to any area of your life.  Mine would be during this time of healing.

Have a great week!

Operation Rising Star

Operation Rising Star tryouts have been completed and the top 12 contestants have been selected.  Last Wednesday and Thursday the tryouts were being held at the Sportsman Lodge and they asked for all contestants to come back on Friday, yesterday, to see if they were chosen to move on. 

I was one of the contestants that tried out on Wednesday, number 11, and was chosen to move forward in the Operation Rising Star competition.  What is this competition?  Well it is like a Military American Idol.  All Military (Active, Retired, Dependents, Reserves, National Guard over 18 are encouraged to come out and audition.) They had a room set aside and when your number was called,  you walked in, were handed a microphone and told to say your name and what you were singing to 3 judges sitting at a table and a video camera behind them. It could be very intimidating to some and yes, I was nervous.  I always am when I stand before anyone and sing.

The song I auditioned with was Strawberry Wine by Deanna Carter and half way through the second verse I messed up my words but they said it was good, that I sang more than I should, then asked if that was the song I was practicing or was I on the fence with another song.  I told them I was thinking of another one also.  They asked for me to sing it.  So, I sang I Just Call You Mine by Martina McBride.  When I got to the chorus and hit that high note, they all threw up their hands and said “Yes, that is what we are looking for!”. 

With this competition, it is 8 weeks long with themes for each week.  At the end of the 8 weeks they will have their winner who will move on to the Army-wide finals.  There will be 12 there and from what I have seen watching last year, they break it down to 6 the next day, then the next will be the winner.  The winner will receive an all expensive paid trip for 2 to Los Angeles, CA to record a 3 song demo in a professional recording studio valued at approximately $18,000. The judges will be different for the Army-wide and I believe you will be able to call in to vote, not sure yet.

BUT first I need to get support from all of you to help move me to the finals.  The way this competition works is 50% of the votes from the audience and 50% of the vote from the judges is what moves you forward to the next week.  So, if I am performing and only 3 people show up to vote, I will more than likely not move on.  There will be other competitors that will have family and friends and their unit there to support them.  Last year there was a Soldier from our Unit, 160th SOAR, out of Washington that made it to the finals.  He had support and talent.  It cost $0.00 to get in and if you order anything to drink and eat, you get more voting cards to write the singer you think should move on.

This year our themes and dates will be as followed: 

• August 7 – Billboard Top 100 (Current)
• August 12 – Birth Year
• August 21 – Michael Jackson
• August 28 – Song from a movie soundtrack
• Sept. 4 – Country
• Sept. 11 – Rhythm & Blues (R&B)
• Sept. 18- Musicals
• Sept. 25 – Patriotic

The competition starts at 6 pm this Friday.  The following week at 6 pm they will tell us who is not moving on and those who do will sing the song they prepared. It will continue like this until the end.

The Prizes:

• 1st Place: $500 and a chance to advance to the Army-wide finals
• 2nd Place: $250
• 3rd Place: $100

The unit that supports the most votes during the whole competition will win a cash prize that will go to their FRG.

Hope to see you out there!

Directions to Sportsman Lodge

My Singing

Father’s Day | June 21, 2009

The third Sunday of June is set aside for Father’s day.  It started back in 1908, when the first Father’s day is believed to be held, in a church located in Fairmont, West Virginia.  Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd of Washington thought independently of the holiday one Sunday in 1909 while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon and arranged a tribute to her Father the following  year on June 19, 1910.  She was the first to solicit the idea of having an official Father’s day observance to honor all fathers. (See full article here)

What are some ideas for Father’s Day?  I know this year, my children are teenagers now and no longer do they need Mommy and Daddy to go buy the gifts for the other.  We have opened an account for each of our kids with our  bank.  With these accounts they get the debit/credit card which we can manage and put money on or if they have a job: babysitting, mowing lawns, etc… they can bring their check to us and with our bank we can deposit at home.  So, we deposit their money into their account.  It is teaching them responsibility on spending and having the freedom to go and buy something without us being around.  For Mother’s Day, my husband was TDY and he went ahead and put some of their allowance on their cards.  They went to the store on their own, one of them is driving now, and bought my gift and decorations.  It was awesome to see them get so into the “holiday” and I didn’t have to do anything.  For Father’s Day, I will be doing the same thing.  It is their Father, so they will be going to the store or staying home and making something that express’ what their Daddy means to them.

Some sites for children to get ideas for their Daddy, in case they aren’t driving yet, and for those who are, can be found at:

• Kaboose
• Father’s Day
• The Holiday Spot

For the Father of my children, I would like to share a few photo’s that have meaning to me.

These pictures are when Art became a Father for the first time.  This is our, not so little anymore, Erikka on the day of her birth, December 26, 1991:

This is one of my favorite pictures of Art and our son Nick when Art took him to see his first Nascar race in Indianapolis, IN for the Brickyard 400:

This is one of my favorites with our youngest, Debbie, sleeping on her Daddy.

As a daughter whose Father lives, soon to be right across the street, I would like to share a few photos of when we were younger.  Much younger!  My Dad was stationed at Ft. Rucker, AL when I was born.  He then went through flight school and became a Pilot.  Flying in Vietnam and all over.  A founding Night Stalker with the 160th SOAR, I am now a Lady Night Stalker, singing at the events that my Dad was once part of and now my husband is part of.  I was always a Daddy’s girl growing up and when my parents divorced, I was 10, it was pretty rough for me to not be around him anymore.  We were at Ft. Campbell, KY and moved back to Ozark, AL where my Mother is from.  Through the years, the tough teenage growing years, there were a lot of growing pains.  Especially when divorce is involved.  Trying to find out why and who was at fault for separating the family.  As an adult and a Mother of my own children, I know that marriage is rough and it isn’t always greener on the other side.  We all make our choices and my parents made theirs.  Now so many years later, picking up where I once was at age 10, living in Werner Park on Hawaii St. in Ft. Campbell, I am now living in Clarksville, TN with my family, where my Dad never moved from. Living so close to my Dad, I have had the opportunity to heal hurts and get to know the man he is.  He is now around his grandchildren and enjoying the time we all have together. Not taking one day for granted.

Here are some pictures way back when:

So, to my Dad, I want you to know that I love you and thank the Lord that He blessed me with you. All the trials, tears, joys and laughter have made me what I am today. And from what you are always telling me, you are very proud of the woman I have become. So, thank you, even thougth it was hard.  I hope you have a wonderful Father’s Day and thank you for being my Daddy.

Coming Soon | Mother’s Day

(This is my beautiful Momma and Granni taken last year.)

It’s right around the corner! May 10th. That is 8 days from today! So, you have to get something in the mail by wednesday to be sure that she will receive it by saturday or better yet, mail it monday or tuesday!
Do you need ideas? Well, I have found a site dedicated to Mother’s Day. It is located at:

www.MothersDayCentral.com

With this being said, I know that it might seem that it isn’t that hard for the women to get something for their Mothers but what about the son? This might be a touchy subject for you men out there but you have to understand how important it is to the Mother, even if she doesn’t show it, to receive something from her child. A lot of times men will leave it up to their wife to get something for their Mom and sign the card but us Mom’s know. We raised you and saw the cards you made us in school. We know the verbiage you use to express your feelings, whether it be much or less. Sometime’s a call is all it takes but I want you to picture something….

There is a woman who is older in years and lives in the same house she always has. She isn’t much for the internet or technology and wonders what happened to the old fashion hand written letters. Her son is now married and has a family of his own. She looks at their picture on the table next to her chair, next to her bed, in the hallway, every where you turn, his familiar face is there for her to see. They live in different states and where once she had a home bursting with excitement, music, yelling, noise, she is now in a home that is quiet. Where once all the lights were on and she would get onto him because the electric bill was high, she is sitting in her reclyner with only 1 light on.

She keeps photos nearby and has her memories but those are soon fading as time ticks by, faster and faster every year. She has kept your notes, hand made cards, anything that has your signature and pulls out that box every week to have a piece of you there with her. To her, she is proud of the man, the woman you have become. You have spread your wings and soared!

We are all so very busy in our life. Our Mother’s raised us to be independent and to make it on our own. Now that we are, we might find that our time is very rarely available to pick up the phone and call the one’s who nutured our bodies, encouraged us to be all that we could be, healed our wounds, let us drive the car even though her gut was saying NO, rushed home from work so you wouldn’t be alone at the house, dropped you off at the movie theatre so you could be with friends, held you as you cried because your heart was broken, spanked your butt because you were disrespectful, told you she loved you everyday.

She might think that her job as a Mother is done because you have a family of your own now and you are doing what she did but better and she might wonder what can she do now? Our position as a child will live on until the day that we say, “See you soon.” comes. Honor her with flowers, even when it isn’t a special occassion. Don’t save them for the funeral that she won’t be able to enjoy their beauty and fragrance. Send her a hand written letter because that is what she will keep in her Bible and read every day, just to see how you are doing because she might not hear from you in a week.

Maybe you didn’t have a Mother that expressed her feelings very well and you could say that in today’s society she would have been put away for child abuse but look at you now. Are you a better person because of her? Did you learn how you weren’t going to be or how you were going to be? Our Mothers were a product of their environment. They did the best that they knew how. Have you sat down and tried to ask her about her Mother? You would find out a lot about her from the Mother she had.

So, maybe soon, the tables will be turned. We will be nuturing their bodies, encouraging them to live another day and not give up, heal their wounds because they are tired and they think their doctors are quacks, letting them drive our car even though our gut is saying NO, rush home because they have fallen and broke a fragile bone, dropping them off at a friends house to play cards, hold them as they cry because they know time is so short, thanking them for spanking your butt because you didn’t show them the respect they deserved and being able to tell them you love them everyday for the rest of their life.

It’s a day that I will honor my Momma. Do something special for yours. Something that she won’t expect from you! In your world of schedules, this sunday put the time aside for your week to get this done for her!

Blessings to all Mothers!

Witty Wednesday

To celebrate “hump day” here is a little something that should make you laugh.  Good morning to all and have a wonderful Wednesday! Here’s a little bit of Real Estate humor.

Blogging Personal…Should We?

I love blogging.  It might not seem like it since there hasn’t been much coming from LTTC (Last Train To Clarksville) but I have been pretty busy with our clients, which is very important to us.  To my devoted readers, it might be a little downer but I am picking up where I left off.

Many of you have seen my writings on our ”Angel Girl“ and the new addition, Gabbie, coming this weekend…5 days to be exact! I believe it is wonderful to be able to be in a line of work, such as Real Estate, and have a blog that will allow the future clients to see who they are dealing with.  What type of morals and ethics they have…you will see through their writing.  Do they get personal? If not, why?  Some blogs I have read say it isn’t good to have a page about this and then a page about your field of work and then a page about something personal, etc…  Some don’t want to read about your personal life and the lessons learned, some just want Read the rest of this entry »

What Is A Home?

What is a home?

A home is a sanctuary, a place to rest and rejuvenate. It is a place where you put on your comfy old sweats and be yourself. It is a place where love lives.
In my past job I did a lot of traveling. I went to a lot of exotic places and seen many things some people only dream about. And as great as it all was nothing felt as good as coming home.
Home is where we keep all our treasures, the things that are dearest to us. It is where our favorite books, food, and music can be found. We invite our family and friends to join us there to share good times.
At home we feel safe and secure; a warm fuzzy feeling surrounds us. It is our center, where we retreat and regenerate.
Maybe this is why we refer to Heaven as home. We know that it is where love lives, a place where we will be welcomed with opened arm and find the finest of thing there. Heaven is the Home of homes. The finest of fine.
Church is referred to as Gods’ house, but I say it’s Gods’ Home, because it’s where Love lives.

Carl A. Gooch ~ 21 February 2009

Presidents Day

This weekend a lot of us are off for a 4 day weekend. We are celebrating the birthday’s of two Presidents past.  Washington and Lincoln.  Washington’s birthday is the federal holiday that will be observed, while Lincoln’s birthday was on February 12 and is a state holiday.

What is Presidents Day?

Washington’s federal holiday, which is originally called Washington’s birthday became Presidents Day in the mid 1980’s to celebrate another President, Lincoln, by advertisers, believe it or not.  Lincoln’s birthday was never made into a federal holiday but a state holiday.  Where ever any a President is from, that state honors him on Presidents Day. For example, Massachusetts celebrates “Washington’s Birthday”, while the state law prescribes that the governor issue an annual Presidents Day proclamation to honor the Presidents who came from Massachusetts:

• John Adams
• John Quincy Adams
• Calvin Coolidge
• John F. Kennedy
• George H. W. Bush
  

Since 1862 there has been a tradition in the United State Senate that on George Washington’s birthday, his Farewell Address be read. This federal holiday celebrates and honors the accomplishments of the man we all refer to, for over two centuries,  as the “The Father of his Country” .  He was also the general who gave out the first military badge of merit  for the common soldier.  Revived on Washington’s 200th birthday in 1932, the Purple Heart recognizes injuries received in battle.  Like on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, this federal holiday offers the opportunity to honor our Countries Veterans, also.

We hope you enjoy the video honoring all of our Presidents.  In closing I would like to remember the following scripture found in Hebrew 13:25, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.  They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.  Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”  No matter who we vote for, the President in place was meant to be there for a reason.  Our prayers and support for our leaders will only help this country.  Some might disagree, some might not.  Which ever way you view it, have a wonderful weekend.

If you like this article and would like to see more when they come out, please let us know.

In watching the video, see who is the first President to smile showing their teeth.  How many followed suit after that?

Big Bad Boss Syndrome

So you had a bad day! As you drive home you notice that your taken deep breaths a lot and sighing.  You decide when you get home you are going to have a big glass of red wine or maybe you’re a beer person and want a couple of beers. You can understand how people become alcoholics, no pun intended!

Maybe you just want to close yourself off to the world and have a long bubble bath.  No matter what it is that you decide to do to calm your nerves, the one thing that remains a fact is that you are stressing out because of your boss! Read the rest of this entry »