Way to go Martin on your first Oscar!!

Warm congratulations to the very talented Martin Scorsese for his first Oscar! Martin won the Oscar for Best Director for 'The Departed'.

If you haven't seen that film, go see it. Wonderful! Graphic, but gripping.

Congrats again, Martin. You more than deserve it.

Congrats to the '06 Best Actor: Forest Whitaker!

How touching to see such humility! Very refreshing.

Congrats, Forest!! Well done. *Sob*

Congrats to the '06 Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson!

Jennifer Hudson just won Best Supporting Actress for 'Dreamgirls'!!!!

I am so excited! What an inspiration. She's definitely a breakthrough artist.

Jen, thanks for your example of persistence, faith and excellence...and the results these can bring in your life.

Stay grounded, chica. God bless!!

Bringing Snuffy Back...

Timberlake is bringing sexxy back, so as I am suffering from a stuffy head and sniffles this weekend, I decided to bring Snuffy back!

Remember Snuffy from Sesame Street? His official name is Aloysius Snuffleupagus, but he is commonly known as Mr. Snuffleupagus or Snuffy, i.e. Big Bird's best friend.

Sometimes when people are sick, I call them 'Snuffleufogus'. I just recently realized that his name has a 'p' and that I have been mispronouncing it for years. Oh well, chalk that up as one learning for the weekend. Gladly (or sadly) it doesn't end there, other highlights from my weekend Snuffy research (yes, I researched that big, brown, cuddly thing) include:

- Snuffy looks like a woolly mammoth, without tusks or visible ears

- He attends Snufflegarten and has a baby sister named Alice

-Snuffy is Big Bird's imaginary friend and adults on the show did not believe Big Bird that Snuffy existed. Adults were often upset that Big Bird blamed Snuffy for things that went wrong

- In 1985, due to a rise in reporting on child abuse and pedophilia, people began to have concerns about this Sesame street storyline where adults refused to believe in Snuffy, despite Big Bird's assertions, and the fact that other characters had seen him. They felt that children would be reluctant to tell adults about abuse because, like Big Bird, their claims would not be believed. As a result, Sesame Street updated the storyline and adults were able to see Snuffy for the first time ever and they apologized to Big Bird for not believing him

- Sesame Street then made Snuffy a more regular character on the show and allowed him to appear sometimes without his best friend, Big Bird

I hope that was informative. Now, pass the tissues. Snuffy is sick.

Pumpity, pump, pump

Contact with you is so exhilarting and exciting

Right throughout we laugh, share secret smiles, find excuses to innocently touch **sigh**

Unfortunately our time together inevitably comes to an end

So we always find some reason to meet again

Heat is in the place, but of course we behave respectfully

I like you

No need for words today, thank God, I can barely think over the loud rush of adrenaline that is pumping through me

Good thing we started as friends - we didn't have to experience the awkward, superficial phase. You already knew me, quirks and all

Once is never enough, together we are too enjoyable
Now what other adventures should we plan for our time together?

You keep me coming back

Ouch! I really have it bad

Umm, I am sure you will forgive or hopefully enjoy this romantic, a.k.a soppy, outburst...it's a rare public display, but you must know...

I am CRUSHING ON YOU! Admit it, you are experiencing it too...

Discussion with the Greatest Salesman in the World

After a few stressful, limited sleep weeks, I was badly in need of some mental vitamins (see Jan. 6, 2007 post on Mental Vitamins) to remind me that happiness can be a permanent state of mind, despite my circumstances. Therefore, based on the recommendation of a wise friend, I decided to take my vitamins in the form of a chat with "The Greatest Salesman in the World", aka GSW.

GSW: Any ambitious person will face what appears to be impossible obstacles. However, failure will never overtake you if your determination to succeed is strong enough

Keri: That is an encouraging way to look at difficulties. How do I translate this viewpoint into a tangible life benefit?

GSW: Patience, grasshopper! Failure is your inability to reach your life goal. The only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habits. Good habits are the key to all success. You must become a slave to good habits!

Keri: Have you seen the Nelson Mandela picture on my blog page? Slavery? As the esteemed Homie the Clown would say, 'Homie don't play that!'

GSW: Please be serious, grasshopper. If you think about it, as a child you were a slave to your impulses; now as an adult, you are a slave to your habits. You have surrendered your free will to the years of accumulated habits, and the past deeds of your life have already predicted a path that is threatening to imprison your future. Your actions are ruled by appetite, passion, prejudice, greed, love, fear, habit, and the worst of these is habit.

Keri: Eek! That is me in a nutshell. Have you been spying on me?

GSW: Listen. If you must be a slave to habit, be a slave to good habits! I am sure you want to know how you can accomplish this difficult feat...well, only a habit can subdue another habit. You therefore have to discipline yourself...spend a few moments each day on the new habit. Repeat for the next several weeks and as you repeat the action you will find that it will become a part of your active mind, but will also seep into your subconscious . Thus a new habit will be born. You also need to vow to yourself that nothing will retard the growth of this new habit.

Keri: Wow. Now, I better understand why I have spurts of good behavior, but the consistency is not there. I need that continuous daily focus and reminder. I need to train myself that this behavior is going to be the new way of operating versus a quick fix

GSW: Yes. Now, I have more wisdom to impart...

Keri: Ready, when you are! Your humble sponge is reporting for soaking duty

GSW: Each day you wake up, you should greet the day with love in your heart

Keri: Umm, ok...

GSW: This is the greatest secret of success in all ventures! Love is your greatest weapon - shhhh...wait...I know it is counter intuitive, but your love will melt all hearts. Start looking on all things with love. Welcome happiness, for it enlarges your heart. Endure sadness for it opens your soul. Acknowledge rewards for they are your due; welcome obstacles for they are your challenge. Laud your enemies and they will become friends; encourage your friends and they will become brothers and sisters. Always search for reasons to applaud; never look for excuses to gossip. When you are tempted to criticize, bite your tongue, when you are moved to praise, shout it from the roofs.

Keri: This is definitely something to aspire to, I can see the clear benefits. As a current addict of celebrity gossip (perezhilton.com, anyone? See the Guilty Pleasures section of my blog *blush*) I have to ensure that this 'habit' does not make me crave real life gossip

GSW: Perez who? Focus, grasshopper. Now, in terms of how you should act, you need to love all mankind because each person has qualities to be admired even though they may be deeply hidden. Love the ambitious because they can inspire you. Love the failures because they can teach you. Love the kings because they are but human. Love the meek for they are divine. Love the rich for they are yet lonely; love the poor for they are so many. Love the young for the faith they hold; love the old for the wisdom they share. Love the beautiful for their eyes of sadness; love the ugly for their souls of peace.

Keri: You mentioned earlier that love can be your greatest weapon, please expand on this

GSW: Love is your shield to repulse the arrows of hate and the spears of anger. Adversity and discouragement will beat against your new shield, but will have little effect. Love will protect and sustain you. Most of all you must love yourself. Never overindulge the requests of your flesh, instead cherish your body with cleanliness and moderation. Never allow your soul to become complacent and satisfied, rather feed it with meditation and prayer. Never allow your heart to become small and bitter, rather share it and it will grow and warm the earth. Greet each day with love and you will succeed.

Keri: I like your point about self-love. I often am a lot more generous to others than myself, or focus more on the work part of the work/life balance equation to the detriment of fitness and health. However, you are right, to really maximize my value to myself and others, self-love is a critical ingredient

GSW: Good, grasshopper. Very good.

Keri: Thanks! *smile*

GSW: Now, to achieve success, you must persist until you succeed. If you persist that means you are continuing to try and if you continue to charge forward, you will succeed. You are not a sheep waiting to be prodded by any shepherd. You are a lion who refuses to talk, walk, or sleep with the sheep. You will not listen to those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious, let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not your destiny, because you will persist until you succeed.

Keri: Inspiring! As an aside, a few years ago, I read one of Anthony Robbins books and was so inspired I set up a meeting with a senior leader of my former company and asked for more responsibility and challenge, and also shared what I had achieved to date. My enthusiasm and confidence was clear, and in response to my leader's comment on my positive attitude, I actually said, " I am a lion, hear me roar!". Hahaha.

GSW: That's the power of positive thinking, grasshopper. You will be confident and also inspire those around you. Also, remember that the prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and you will not know how many steps are necessary in order to reach your goal. You may still encounter failure at the 1000th step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. You will never know how close it lies unless you turn the corner.

Keri: I truly believe this. Just this week, I have been surprised by many unexpected opportunities that have unfolded at work, many of which have come out of some pretty challenging journeys. It showed me that you have to diligently push forward, obstacles or not, and the benefits will in time appear

GSW: Exactly. Always be willing to take another step. One step at a time is really not too difficult. Consider each day's effort as one blow of your blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may not cause a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with your efforts of today. Small attempts, repeated will complete any undertaking.

Keri: It definitely is frustrating at times when I feel that I am putting in a lot of energy and getting minimal, if any, results. I lose hope and then feel like giving up or procrastinating

GSW: You must never consider defeat and remove the following such words from your vocabulary: quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless and retreat; for they are the words of fools. Avoid despair, but if this disease of the mind infects you, then you need to work on in despair. Continue to toil and you will endure. Ignore the obstacles at your feet and keep your mind on the goals above. Persist until you succeed. You must fail often to succeed only once. Try, try, and try again. Each obstacle is a mere detour to your goal and a challenge to your profession. Persist and develop skills by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm

Keri: Good point...even in despair, keep pushing forward. I have definitely experienced character and skillset improvements after I have endured challenging situations; these situations can really be good learning experiences

GSW: Right. You must also apply this other secret of those who excel in work. When each day is ended, whether or not that day has been a success or failure, you must attempt to achieve one more sale. When your thoughts beckon your tired body to go home, resist the temptation to depart. Try again. Make one more attempt to close with victory, and if that fails make another. Never allow any day to end with a failure. This is how you will plant the seed for tomorrow's success and gain an insurmountable advantage over those who cease their labour at a prescribed time.

Keri: Applying that to my life would definitely be a differentiator.

GSW: Grasshopper, also you must never allow yesterday's success to lull you into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. Forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of your life. So long as you are alive, that is how long you should persist. If you persist long enough you will win.

Keri: You have touched and inspired me. Thank you for your contribution! I loved these vitamins. Yum!

(GSW's comments are sourced from Og Mandino's bestseller - The Greatest Salesman in the World)

Pet Peeves

Conversation Interrupters - I just want to finish my sentence!

Adamant about not wearing a watch - Will you please stop asking me the time?

Noisy chewers - Pass me the muzzle

Rude Customer Service Reps - So you appreciate irony, but please re-read your job description

Loud talking via speaker phone in open spaces- Inside voice? Headset? Closed office? New job?

Sneezing without hand guard - Back away from my face

Indecisiveness - Getting tired...pick one and go with it

Falling asleep on the phone - Oops! Sorry...uhh you have a soothing voice? I felt comfortable?

CD Wrappers - I already paid for it, make it easier

Obnoxious alarms - Pass the sledgehammer

Incorrectly spelling my name - It's 4 letters, are you even trying?

Eggs - Why can't I eat you, even though I am technically not allergic?

Bed Head

Sometimes she surprises me. She is very different... her thoughts, her actions, her desires...all are clear opposites of my typical style. She and I have intense conversations, we negotiate about what we think the best plan of action should be and she often wins...unless I am standing firm.

She is Bed Head.

Getting out of bed can be a real challenge on some days. The inertia is overwhelming. I try to convince myself that it is really in my best interest to move, that I must get up now, but Bed Head is stubborn, she wants more sleep. She doesn't want to be dominated by responsibilities. She is in charge and sleep is her priority. Her tactics are very successful.

My only hope of winning is to somehow get out of the bed. It is tricky, but the moment my feet touch the floor, Bed Head disappears. Her arguments no longer exist. I am left feeling surprised by what she was able to convince me to do, but happy that she has released her grip for now.

A pill a day, keeps the straight jacket away: Mental Vitamin for Procrastination

It starts out as procrastination. It's light, it's fun, it's friendly.

It turns into worry. It's itchy, annoying, but bearable.

It moves on to panic. It's heavy, debilitating and stifling.

It ends in apathy. It's dishonest, delusional and ridiculous.

I have found the solution: stop the procrastination phase early - before it gets to worry - and take action. No matter how small, just act. It's surprisingly easy, satisfying and a big relief!

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. ~Dale Carnegie

With Your Potential? Only the Best!

I am currently reading Tough Choices, a memoir by Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Carly has had a tremendous career, holding significant leadership positions at global corporations including AT&T and Lucent. In her memoir Carly states, "I experienced first-hand the power of high expectations: had less been demanded, less would have been achieved." When I look back at my life so far, I too can see the impact of high expectations...

I grew up in a very supportive home, with parents who taught me to want the best for myself and encouraged me to be a high achiever. The pursuit of excellence became automatic for me early on in childhood. When taking the Common Entrance exam to determine my placement in high school, I identified the top two secondary institutions on the island as my preferred schools. I was successful and attended Immaculate High School for girls. A few years later, when it came time to think about colleges, I applied to and received a scholarship for an elite all women's college in the U.S. - Smith College.

During my high school and college years, I came to appreciate the positive impact of a go-getter peer group. Interacting with talented women who had aggressive career goals, further motivated me to set similar challenging targets for myself. We were all expected to use our talents to deliver big results.

After college, I joined a prestigious global management consulting firm and started what has been an extremely rewarding and successful career in consulting. A large part of my success has been due to the expectations set by excellent mentors, demanding managers and talented colleagues.

Having seen the wonders of high expectations in my own life, I feel the need to share this gift with people around me. It has been very rewarding to see the impact of simple acts such as

• asking about and being genuinely interested in someone's goals
• sharing words of encouragement based on the potential you see (and sometimes they may not)
• brainstorming to identify steps necessary to achieve targets
• checking progress against agreed upon milestones
• celebrating any positive momentum towards realizing stated goals

During these interactions with others, I relay the same message that has been ingrained in me since youth: With your potential? Only the best!

Mental Vitamins

Positive re-enforcement works wonders. I find that a word of encouragement quickly gets me back on track and heightens my productivity levels. Here are some bite size mental boosters from select motivators to help re-energize us throughout the day:

Dale Carnegie

• If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep
• You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you
• Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy
• I deal with the obvious. I present, reiterate and glorify the obvious -- because the obvious is what people need to be told
• Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours
• Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don't put off being happy until some future date

Martin Luther King, Jr.

• The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy
• Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter
• If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control
• Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?

Helen Keller

• Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved
• One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar
• Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood
• Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence
• While they were saying among themselves it cannot be done, it was done

Napoleon Hill

• Big pay and little responsibility are circumstances seldom found together
• A goal is a dream with a deadline
• First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination
• It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed
• Don't wait. The time will never be just right
• Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything
• Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements
• There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge
• The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail
• Think and grow rich
• When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal
• When your desires are strong enough you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve

Tony Robbins

• Live with passion!
• The path to success is to take massive, determined action
• If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten
• Most people fail in life because they major in minor things
• Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible
• Nothing has any power over me other than that which I give it through my conscious thoughts
• If you can't, you must. If you must, you can
• The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you're in control of your life. If you don't, life controls you
• If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you'll achieve the same results
• Questions provide the key to unlocking our unlimited potential
• Things do not have meaning. We assign meaning to everything
• Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent, and committed decision
• Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives
• Whatever happens, take responsibility
• Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers
• There's no abiding success without commitment
• The past doesn't equal the future

Michelle C. Ustaszeski

• The path of least resistance has been cleared for you, but the road to success is one you must build yourself
• Even if you are not the best at what you do, you can be the one who never gave up.
  When your walls come tumbling down, consider it an opportunity to rebuild something even stronger and better
• Close your eyes and imagine where you want to be. Imagine the complete journey you need to take in order to get there. Now go pack. Your reservations have been made
• The length of time it takes to reach your goal depends on the intensity of your desire
• As you approach your goal, you will realize that childhood fantasies do come true and that you are actually capable of so much more
• When others aim to hurt, rejoice in the absence of your own animosity
• Pain is pain. The difference lies in our inner hospitality. Some may let it get comfortable while others simply show it the door
• It's not the mistake that matters, it's how you interpret the lesson
• If you want to get to the top in life, you are going to have to take the stairs
• Do not wait for your ship to come in, get in your boat and row out
• Never look back and regret, look back and smile at what you have learned
• Don't work on the problem, work on the solution
• If you think you can't, you won't
• You will instantly win any battle when you find peace within yourself
• The right place at the right time is here and now
• Courage is what it takes to admit when you are wrong
• Step onto a clean slate each morning and you will be miles ahead of the rest
• Honesty is fearing a negative response and telling the truth anyway
• If you fail the first time, consider yourself normal and try again. If you fail a second time, consider yourself special for you have what it takes to succeed. If you fail a third time, consider yourself extraordinary, for many people would have already given up
• Give without hesitance and you shall receive great abundance

Oprah Winfrey

• I know for sure that what we dwell on is who we become
• The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work
• Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment
• As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around
• I believe the choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to require more from yourself
• You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it
• If you neglect to recharge a battery, it dies. And if you run full speed ahead without stopping for water, you lose momentum to finish the race
• The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams
• Whatever you fear most has no power - it is your fear that has the power
• Unless you choose to do great things with it, it makes no difference how much you are rewarded, or how much power you have
• We can't become what we need to be by remaining what we are

Zig Ziglar

• You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win
• Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street
• If you don't see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner
• Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful
• Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best shot, but don't hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead, surround yourself with optimistic people
• You cannot perform in a manner inconsistent with the way you see yourself
• When you are tough on yourself, life is going to be infinitely easier on you
• Success is a personal standard - reaching for the highest that is in us - becoming all that we can be
• This I do know beyond any reasonable doubt. Regardless of what you are doing, if you pump long enough, hard enough and enthusiastically enough, sooner or later the effort will bring forth the reward
• Don't let the mistakes and disappointments of the past control and direct your future
• Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will

Friendly Expectations

In this moment I know that I am loved, I am special, I am not alone...my life has again been blessed by you.

Yesterday, you held me accountable. You challenged me to the point of tears. You wouldn't allow me to compromise the greatness you see in me. You accepted no excuses and demanded action.

Today, you listened. You valued what I had to say. There was no awkwardness, I freely shared my thoughts - goals, fears, and insecurities. I wasn't intruding, wasn't wasting your time. You wanted to hear more.

Tomorrow, you will laugh. You will tease me about taking life and myself so seriously. We will relax and take a moment for ourselves. You will make sure that I have fun.

Each day that you are my friend, I am blessed. Your participation in my life is a rare gift. Thank you. Expect me to return the favour.

Wake Up, Brit! You may still have a chance...

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity -- Albert Einstein

I gave up Britney Spears several years before it was fashionable. I was never too embarrassed to admit that I liked her music. She was an edgy, charismatic performer with catchy songs. My period of loyalty ended in early 2004. I got bored when Britney stopped releasing music and any publicity about her was related to her love life (she married Kevin Federline in 2004).

In 2006, Britney - mother of 2 - announced her split from K-Fed, now known as FedEx. It was with mild interest I watched to see how she would handle this unique comeback opportunity. Britney still had a huge fan base and had removed the underwhelming and widely disliked FedEx. Post-dump, the news has not been positive. Pictures of indecent exposure and signs of risky living have caused fans to leave in droves. I don't care enough to be disappointed in Britney, but I hate to see her waste the opportunity.

I hope the new year will bring better news for Britney. If a miracle happens, I may even re-join the fan club.

Making the Flight - God is good (again!)

Well, first off I agree with you that pulling an all-nighter the day before I have to catch an early morning flight to Minneapolis probably wasn't the best idea...but you have to remember what I said earlier about passion and my intense focus and all that jazz (See "Setting Up My Blog" post for details)

I was supposed to leave the house at 5:30am for a 7:15am flight out of Newark airport. I went to sleep at 3:30am, no sweat...ever heard of an alarm? I set the alarm for 4:15am so I could do some work before I left , but decided that I could actually sleep some more and work on the plane. I told myself to reset the alarm, and kept telling myself that until I woke up again at 5:33am. Oh, 5:33am? I mean that's good, right? That's considered early morning in most situations....wait!!!, in this panic-ridden situation I am actually 3 mins late for the airport car service. After a couple seconds of more panic, I call the driver who is waiting outside the house - on time as usual - and let him know I am late. Alright, now I dash to the shower (thank God I already packed and had put out 3/4 of my clothes to wear...the remaining 1/4 were downstairs in the dryer). Proud to say, I am out the house in 20 mins flat, with 100% of clothing on.

In the car, I simultaneously

• cuss myself for oversleeping (I mean it is day 2 of the new year...sheesh!)
• put on lipstick and watch
• fix hair
• zip up boots
• check time on the clock in the car and on my watch
• pray to God that I make the flight
• calculate the impact of not making the flight

while my wonderful driver is carefully speeding to Newark. (Oh yeh, I of course apologized to him for being late - he was so cool about it)

We arrive at Newark airport in 25 minutes, at around 6:34am (typical travel time: 35-40 mins). I have not checked in, the lines are looong, so I walk to the ticket booking desk to try and get on the next flight. Oh ye of little faith! Next flight is fully booked. I spin my wheels for 45 seconds and then decide to do self-check in for my 7:15am flight. It is now 6:45am.

For self-check in you are only allowed carry on luggage. No problem - I quickly trash every drop of liquid in my suitcase, probably somethings I didn't even need to trash. Goodbye lovely hair lotion from Cape Town, South Africa!!! I run to the security line - liquid free - and get through that mob by 6:53am. My gate is C130, I run passed C123...*pant*, *pant*, I think I can, I think I can. I hear the announcement reminding all passengers for my flight that you really must be on board 20 mins before the flight or else you risk...I couldn't hear the rest because I was still running to my gate.

I make it to my gate and there are 3 passengers still with the agent. THANK GOD. Wow. I calmly show my crushed boarding pass to the agent and walk to the plane doorway. My suitcase can no longer hold on the plane so I check it at the door and walk to seat number 20E, a middle seat behind already crying young kids. I sit, put my bag under the seat, zip my boots (which had to be unzipped during security clearing) and thank God again for helping me to make the flight. I am so grateful, and happy and sleepy...ZZZZZZZZZ

Setting Up My Blog

January 1, 2007

Happy New Year!

As I think about what I would like to achieve in 2007, one thing that continues to ring true for me is : be ye passionate and also consistent. I am motivated by what I feel passionate about....the high energy levels and intense focus associated with passion result in states of extreme productivity for me. However, this is often short-term, as when the initial blitzes of energy fade, there is nothing left to facilitate forward momentum. Passion alone cannot be my sole basis for achievement and so I have added be ye "also consistent". Alongside passion, I must also put in place mechanisms to support follow through.

What am I passionate about? Writing. I had early career goals of pursuing creative writing or journalism. During college I took several philosophy, and literature courses, and did a couple-article stint at the college newspaper. It was during this time that I realized how much I enjoyed expressing myself through written communication. After college, I continued to write on and off for various church bulletins in the US and Jamaica and distinguished myself in my management consultant career as someone with strong editorial talent. So, yes, I am passionate about writing, but I have never committed to it in any consistent manner. Well, it is Jan 1 2007 and since passion now must be accompanied by consistency...my search is on for the appropriate support mechanism(s) for writing.

Enter...My New Blog! (At some point this narrative had to connect to the title Setting Up My Blog) I realized that by setting up and maintaining a blog I would simultaneously tap into passion and consistency. Passion, by having an outlet for written creativity, and consistency, by having to satisfy my many readers (hint!! plug for my blog!) with interesting and fresh items to read. Let the blogging begin...happy reading!!

Cheers to a passionate and consistent 2007!