“Don’t think ‘what’s the cheapest way to do it‘ or ‘what’s the fastest way to do it...‘ think ‘what’s the most amazing way to do it?‘”
— Richard Branson —

I counted more than 100 self-help books as I categorized the selections on the bookshelf in my bedroom. Those 100 books do not include the self-help books I have in my office, in one of my various business totes, in the car, on Audible, or that I have passed on to others. Does that make me a self-help junkie? Well, I don’t think so since I don’t feel the need to read self-help every day, and my fiction to-be-read (TBR) list far out numbers my self-help TBR list. Truth is, I’m going through a phase, or maybe I’ve reached an age of wisdom, where I have pretty much put self-help on the back burner for now.

As we move from the height of tourist season to our local stores, businesses, and restaurants being a little less crowded, I want to remind you of the wonderful community we live in, and that it takes all of us to make it a great place to live. Though, I wrote the following article in 2019, I want to run it again, as it is a great reminder of the influence you have on our local businesses. All I ask, is please use your words wisely. We are living in a time when we all need some extra grace.

Stop. Drop and Be Reasonable.

“My life is my message.”
— Elizabeth Skenes Millen

Well, here I go, entering another decade of life on September 10. I don’t remember this, but Lindsay, my art director, reminded me that I cried all day the last time I hit a new decade. In my defense, I think that was more about what I was going through at the time (divorce, empty nest, house destroyed in Hurricane Matthew, so much at once) as opposed to my age. While I don’t plan on crying this year, I can’t promise anything.

First, I want to say, I’ve had an amazing life so far. Believe me, there’s been some difficult stuff—lifelong stuff to be exact, but I’ve been fortunate enough to have a strong mind that allows me not to get stuck or dwell in the quagmire and to find and walk the lighter path. If my life was a novel, the first lines would be from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

Here we are in the midst of football season, just three short months from the onslaught of the holidays, with school children back into the full swing of roaming hallways, complaining about homework and having to get up early. Though everything seems different in today’s world, the basics are still: children don’t really like school; parents feel tied down by the regimen; and teachers are tired—already! It’s interesting, though, how many of us look back and consider our school days some of our best days, filled with many fun times and happy memories.

“How good are you willing to let it get?”
— Dr. Kathy Murphy

I’m taking this month’s “Mind Your Business” theme and applying it to the business of living. In other words, let’s do an annual report on how you are operating and if it is profitable to your well-being. Let’s look at the big picture and get clear about who and what is important to you.

In my first real job after college, I was a salesman in the wine industry. My accounts were grocery stores, and in addition to managing the shelf sales, I sold wine displays to male grocery store managers who were usually 15 to 30 years older than me. I was 24 years old and scared to death. It took more than restocking what had sold for the week from the shelves to meet my quotas; I had to sell hundreds of cases up and above shelf orders to keep my job.