Okay, for all of you e-Book users, the “e-Book” version of Bread Crumbs to Making it GREAT is now available at www.Kindle.com .  Just another way to Make it GREAT for you success seekers out there trying to be better today than you were yesterday.

Just in time for Christmas, this e-book makes an excellent gift to go with that Kindle you’re getting for that special someone.  Just a few minutes to download then you’re ready to take those breadcrumbs and make them GREAT.

Download your copy today @:    www.Kindle.com 

Or, get your paperback book copy @:   www.MakeItGreatNOW.com 

Make it GREAT!!!

H ave you ever expected something specific and got something totally different? You know, kind of like when you order a cheeseburger and fries at the drive-thru window and you get home to find that you don’t have any cheese on your burger.  Ughhhh!

Well, don’t feel like you’ve been singled out because things like this happens to all of us at one time or another and it’s not just exclusive to the drive-thru window of your local fast-food joint.  This unexpected reality can happen in many areas of our lives and yes this includes the area of marriage and relationships.

I distinctly remember the time when my union between me and my bride, Karen, had the new-car smell over 15 years ago.  I readily admit I had stars in my eyes along with visions of grandeur living the perfect marriage with the perfect mate.  A few things may have been cloudy from the beginning but my expectations were not one of them.  Yes, I knew what I wanted and expected and it was simple.  I expected my wife to be just like my mama.  I can only speculate about what Karen’s expectations were for me but I’m positive she didn’t get fully what she anticipated. More »

I  was having one of my regular conversations with my 76-year-old, 85 pound, 4 ft 11 inch tall Japanese Master Tailor Iko (pronounced “eeko”) not long ago.  She lives alone by choice and at the ripe age of 75 she says that she lives a simple life full of predictable routine.  Her best friend is a small, Apple-Face Chihuahua named Plum who was the last gift given to her by her husband years ago before he passed away.

Part of Iko’s daily routine is getting up bright and early every morning, seven days a week and walking the neighborhood streets.  She loves and lives for the daily opportunity to walk her usual route with a bag of treats in hand so she can feed the 8 dogs and one cat on her route.

My two Blue-Queensland Healer dogs, Sophie and Cody, are part of her route too.  It makes me smile oftentimes as I watch from the window as my dogs sit patiently watching and waiting for Iko to appear.  Their ears perk up as they hear her footsteps from hundreds of feet away and just like clock-work, she shows up 8:05am.  They greet her every morning with excitement as if it’s their first time all over again.

Iko absolutely loves the reaction she gets from all the pets on her route and she looks forward to it daily.  I think that it’s safe to say that my friend Iko is definitely celebrated everywhere she goes and not merely tolerated.

As you think about how you’re going to make this next year different and better than this one, I invite you to consider the following.  Are you “Celebrated” everywhere you go or are you just “Tolerated”?  Hmmm… Give this one some serious thought and if you’re a manager or supervisor be especially sure that you understand that being a boss doesn’t mean you have to be an unyielding, unapproachable, tyrant with an attitude.

I’ve learned that people love to be around other people who’re positive, motivated, uplifting and encouraging.  The good news is we all can do our part to breath life into our respective environments by building people up and it all starts with the most important component of all, “YOU”.

Be encouraged in the days ahead and be sure to lift others up while you’re climbing.  Iko would definitely say choose to be “Celebrated” and not “Tolerated” and I couldn’t agree more.  It’s amazing that I’ve learned so many big things from such a little woman.   I’m extremely excited that she has allowed me to grace several pages of my book with her presence.

One step closer today than yesterday.  Let’s continue to Make it GREAT!

www.MakeItGreatNOW.com   (The Book)
www.MrBreadCrumb.com    (The Blog)

Ever heard the phrase, “Two wrongs don’t make a right”? I’ve learned that this is true, but during the innovative and creative process, two wrongs can get you two steps closer to a “right”. So, we must continue to be willing to risk being wrong or failing until we’re right and successful in our respective endeavors.

The Great Thomas Edison is famous for stating that he found thousands of ways that inventing a light bulb didn’t work and continued to persist until he found the one way that did.  He succeeded because he was willing to fail his way to success.  He was willing to be wrong and wrong and wrong again until he was right.

We have received permission to frequently fail forward fast and furiously toward our goals and dreams. Our applause is guaranteed to come sooner or later if we don’t quit.  So stay the course for one more day and make it GREAT!

www.MakeItGreatNOW.com (The Book)
www.Mr.BreadCrumb.com

So I tell my wife this morning, “We’re going to co-author a book together.”  Then she says, “Not today honey, I’ve got a headache.”  LOL…  Her quick wit is one of the many things that keeps me coming back for more.  After 18 years of courtship and marriage we still manage to make it work.

I met a new acquaintance at a Christmas Party a few days ago that expressed to me a concern about authors and therapist.  She asked the question, “Is it true that their relationships really are as good as they make them out to be?”  After a couple of seconds of thought, I simple told her that I can’t speak for all however I can speak for me and my wife. More »