Friday

Good morning All! We are in for another day of leaving the house for a showing. I'm headed out to Mom & Dad's to hide out while they are here. I'm so glad that the girls are behaved while we are there. I'm beginning to think that Lilly is actually rubbing off on them. She does bark at Dad from time to time, but the it is like she remembers who he is and quits.

The girls did well over at Mom & Dad's house. They like curling up on the sofa to sleep, together no less.

I checked in on the eshowing listing today and found that we have on realtor who wants to have a second showing of the house on Sunday afternoon. I've called Dave's office about it and they are sending them back through the scheduling agency again. That way we can keep track of any & all feedback.

The temperature here was showing as 23-degrees first thing this morning, and has only been inching upward slowly. I just love the gas logs, I can stay warm. Having already had to straighten the house up first thing this morning for the showing, that leaves the day pretty much free.

Walter dropped by to pick up a package that he had delivered here today. If he orders anything that won't fit into his box at home he has it sent here. It keeps him from having to journey to the post office.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thoughts for the Day:

• It is impossible to take one day at a time, we can only do it minute by minute and that is with lots of help from above.
• If you look at what you do not have in life, you don't have anything, If you look at what you have in life, you have everything.
• Joy: I live in my own little world. But it's OK... They know me here!

A Love Supreme

A woman meant to call a record store but dialed the wrong number and got a private home instead. "Do you have 'Eyes of Blue' and 'A Love Supreme'?" she asked.

"Well, no," answered the puzzled homeowner. "But I have a wife and eleven children."

"Is that a record?" she inquired.

"I don't think so," replied the man, "but it's as close as I want to get."

TECHNOLOGY RUN AMOK?

According to Roxio, here are some products that walk a fine line between usefulness and Pet Rock status. Here are a few REAL current doodads and thingamajigs of dubious value. You be the judge!

1. Laundry Weather Index - A site in Italy tells you when it's safe to hang out the clothes to try before heading to work.
2. DVDs That Self-Destruct - This Mission Impossible theme has actually made its way into real products! So-called Flexplay discs turn black and unplayable after 48 hours. Wonder why it hasn't caught on?
3. Wi-Fi Talking Rabbit - This cute little bunny has antennae for ears and can read the news or your email out loud to you when it arrives. It even has moods and flashing colored lights. But you can't talk back.
4. Solar Insect Theatre - Continuing our nature theme, click right on over to this bug observation tank. Essentially an expensive moth trap, it lights up at night to attract the bugs, but doesn't let them out easily, so you can then watch them during the day.

Seven Strategies To Improve Your Attitude at Work

1. You CAN do it. Low motivation doesn’t mean you CAN’T do something, it just means you prefer not to.
2. Have realistic expectations of yourself. Having low motivation means you may not enjoy the task, and it will take you longer and use more energy than someone with high motivation. Don’t compare your productivity to someone who thrives on the very task you detest.
3. Determine if "Adequate" is good enough. Is it imperative that you be excellent in this particular area? If you have low motivation, you can probably be adequate with enough training and practice, but being "Excellent" may be beyond reach.
4. Reassign the work. Can this task be given to someone else? Perhaps there is someone with high motivation who would enjoy this work.
5. Partner with someone who is strong in this area. This the Rogers and Hammerstein approach. An example would be the successful sales person who relies on her assistant to do all the paperwork.
6. Create a system or use a tool. I know of a professional with high talent for creativity, but low talent for details and capturing all his good ideas. He finally decided to carry a pocket tape recorder in a leather case on his belt. This allows him to make verbal notes to himself on the fly.
7. Ask for reassignment. One of our clients who had always been a successful project manager was floundering in his new role. The reason was that he had very high motivation for routine, methodical procedures. He needed lots of structure and order in his environment. Unfortunately, he was assigned to develop new products in a start-up company, and there were no rules, no structure. His best option was to accept reassignment to a role that allowed him to create processes and procedures for the new venture.