Denny Strecker’s Blog

Today’s article talks about being “present minded”. Too many times people worry about what might happen or dwell on what did happen and end up missing what IS happening. Read the story below and make sure you start focusing on the present, and more importantly, teach your children to focus on the now.

By Denis Waitley

What each of us is doing this minute is the most important event in history for us. We have decided to invest our resources in THIS opportunity rather than in any other.

It is helpful to remember this when we consider the passage of time. As I write this, my mother is in her eighties and I will never see fifty again. As the years pass, I am acutely aware that the bird of time is on the wing. At my fortieth high school reunion, I saw people who claimed to be my former classmates. We all had big name tags printed in capital letters so we wouldn’t have to squint with our reading glasses on trying to associate the name with each well-traveled face. It was only yesterday that I was really enjoying high school. What had happened to the four decades in between? Where had they flown?

To the side of the bandstand, where the big-band sound of the late 1940s and 50s blared our favorite top-ten hits, there was a poster with a printed verse for all of us to see. I read the words aloud: “There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.”

“One of these days is YESTERDAY, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed or erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.”

“The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise, and its poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.”

“This leaves only one day, TODAY. Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities - Yesterday and Tomorrow - that we break down.”

“It is not the experience of Today that drives us mad, it is remorse and bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring. Let us therefore… Live this one full TODAY.”

Malcolm Forbes believed the important thing is “never say die until you’re dead,” and he lived that example to the hilt. It is, as we realize when we suddenly attend our fortieth high school reunion, a short journey.

But it is difficult to be depressed and active at the same time. So get active! Live TODAY.

This story is over 2,000 years old. It is one of Aesop’s Fables. It talks about the importance of parents setting and enforcing rules to educate their child.

A young man had been caught in a daring act of theft and had been condemned to be executed for it. He expressed his desire to see his Mother, and to speak to her before he was led to execution. This final request was granted. When his Mother came to him he said,

“I want to whisper to you,” and when she brought her ear near him, he nearly bit it off.

All the bystanders were horrified, and asked him what he could mean by such brutal and inhuman conduct.

“It is to punish her!” he said. “When I was young I began with stealing little things, and brought them home to Mother. Instead of rebuking and punishing me, she laughed and said ‘It will not be noticed.’ It is because of her that I am her today.”

“He is right, woman.” said the crowd.

Moral: Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart there from.

A popular person is one who is liked by many people. It’s nice to be popular…but the pursuit of popularity can lead to trouble!

Heather says, “I want to be popular no matter what. I’ll do whatever it takes!”

Monica says, “I’d like to be popular, of course…but not at any price. I insist on being myself!”

As parents, the thought expressed by “Heather” is bound to make us uneasy. Monica, of course, expresses a healthier perspective.

When popularity becomes TOO important to your child, problems arise.

• Sometimes children will do things they know they shouldn’t do…because they are afraid of losing popularity. They may “cave in” to peer pressure.

• Other times, children will feel that they aren’t popular with the “right” crowd. They don’t appreciate their current friends.

• Some kids believe that popularity is based on having the “right” clothes, or participating in the “right” activities. They lose their identity by following the crowd.
When these types of popularity are attained, they are shallow and short lasting. They last only until the next “popularity test” comes up.

Teach your child to be a person who does the right thing…no matter what other people think; and that loyalty, integrity, and kindness will lead to genuine popularity!

Teach them to treat all others, regardless of social status, with respect and courtesy.

Remind them not to be tricked into doing things they know are wrong, in order to gain popularity.

Above all, continually teach them about the value and the importance of your relationship to each other within your family. Teach them about your family history, and your family heritage.

A young person who has a strong sense of family pride won’t succumb to the pressure to be TOO popular.

Popularity will come to your child when people recognize her as a person with integrity!

Often times we place unnecessary stress on ourselves by shouldering burdens that belong to other people.

You have a neighbor whose life is a mess…and is in the habit of unburdening herself to you.

Or, you begin following a story on the news about some family who is having a crisis.

When you find yourself stressed in situations like these, you are assuming false responsibility.

You are feeling bad about something that is really not connected to you.

Am I saying you shouldn’t care? Nope. The fact is, though, that you have people, issues, and situations are ARE your responsibility. Devote yourself FULLY to these areas!

If everybody looked to their own house, to their own responsibilities, everybody would be more effective and less stressed.

Our society makes it a habit to reward the mediocre. It has changed its thinking from “Only the Strong Survive” to “We don’t want to hurt anyones feelings” and it is killing us. Teaching people to just be average, or to set the bar as low as possible so that everyone can be successful is insane. Does every single thing need to be a competition - of course not! But the pendulum has now swung to the complete opposite so that nothing is competitive and it is making our children lazy!

Today’s article is for you to use on yourself, and then to create that atmosphere for your child.

Enjoy!

By Nelson Tan

Mastery in one’s career and consciousness growth simply requires that we constantly produce results beyond and out of the ordinary. Mastery is a product of consistently going beyond our limits. For most people, it starts with technical excellence in a chosen field and a commitment to that excellence. If you are willing to commit yourself to excellence, to surround yourself with things that represent this and miracles (when we speak of miracles, we speak of events or experiences in the real world which are beyond the ordinary), your life will change.

It is remarkable how much mediocrity we live with, surrounding ourselves with daily reminders that the average is acceptable. Our world suffers from terminal normality. Take a moment to assess all of the things around you that promote you being ‘average’. These are the things that keep you powerless to go beyond a ‘limit’ you arbitrarily set for yourself. The first step to Mastery is the removal of everything in your environment that represents mediocrity, removing those things that are limiting. One way is to surround yourself with friends who ask more of you than you do, e.g. your teachers, coaches, parents etc.

The Master does his work in a secret way that is different from the masses. He does not treat it as a chore or routine. That secret way lies in the art of communicating with your work. Let your work speak to you as much as you work on it.

What makes an outstanding carpenter? He lets the wood speak to him as much as he works on it with his hammer.

What makes an outstanding basketball or soccer player? He lets the net speak to him as much as he looks and aims towards it.

Thus the Master steps up his thoughts and actions by being courageous in knowing he had to do something for a cause, as much as his capabilities are demanded by fellow beings. It is not just an urgent feeling; it is an act that gives a tremendous sense of purpose when Life has found its greatest calling. By virtue of making more critical decisions, he does less yet impacts more, while the underlying passion drives ceaselessly by telling him to stay on the course for an appointment with Destiny.

Another step on the path of Mastery is the removal of resentment towards Masters. Develop compassion for yourself so that you can be in the presence of Masters and grow from the experience. Rather than comparing yourself or resenting people who have Mastery, remain open and receptive, let the experience be like the planting of a seed within you that, with nourishment, will grow into your own individual Master. Putting it another way, the wisdom of a Master is like light coursing through his body, making it whole and full of light. Any hints of resentment and baggage are covered under the gleam of the eye.

You see, we are all ordinary. But a Master, rather than condemning himself for his ‘ordinariness’, will embrace it and use it as a foundation for building the extraordinary. Rather than using it as an excuse for inactivity, he will use it as a vehicle for correcting which is essential in the process of attaining Mastery. You must be able to correct yourself without invalidating or condemning yourself, to accept results and improve on them. Correct, don’t protect. Correction is essential to power and Mastery.

“When looking for faults, use a mirror, not a telescope.”

This is such a great quote that I had to write about as today’s article.

Parents ask me day after day why their child mis-behaves or has such
a bad attitude, or is so disrespectful. Generally, it only takes a minute
or two to figure out the answers to these questions.

All I have to do is listen and watch the parent speak for a little bit, and
then the gates of enlightenment open. In practically every instance, the
parent is role modeling the behavior that they don’t like seeing. And in
the cases where the parent isn’t role modeling the behavior, they are
allowing it which is almost as bad.

If your child is demonstrating a negative behavior, spend the time to
track down where they learned it. There are usually only a couple of
places that come up - school, day care, friends, or PARENTS!

If you are the culprit - knock it off! Make sure you stop modeling
the negative behavior and start modeling the positive one.

Remember, parents have a lot more influence over their children then
any other person or program. I get parents asking me all of the time
to help “fix” their child and they are surprised when I point this out.
“I am going to work with your child for 1 and 1/2 hours each week to
improve their skills. They are with you the rest of the time. Who has
more influence over their behaviors?”

I may have better tools, but time is the greatest tool you can utilize.

So get to it! Start using that mirror to find those negative habits and
stop using the telescope to assign the blame someplace else.

I encourage everyone to leave a comment on any and all of my articles.
Some of you subscribe to my blog via email, so if you would like to
leave a comment make sure you go to the actual blog and then click
on the comment button.

The other day I was in line in traffic, waiting for the light to turn green.
Finally it changed and the line slowly began to move forwards.

Then, the car in front of me stopped to allow a person from the side street
to merge in front of her.

Then, we began to move again. The car in front of me slipped through the
intersection as the light turned red again. I was stuck waiting again.

I’m sure the lady in front of me was patting herself on the back for being such
a nice person…letting the car in front of her enter the line of traffic.

But — she was demonstrating false courtesy. You see, she didn’t just give
up her place in line. She gave up mine, too! And my place is not for HER
to give up!

If you do something nice for somebody and it inconveniences you (and only you),
that is true courtesy. We should all be looking for opportunities to perform acts
acts of true courtesy.

But if you perform the same act, and it inconveniences others in the process…it’s
not courtesy at all.

Summer time is one of the most wasted times of the year for children here in the United States. Parents allow their children to become slugs - sleeping all day, laying on the couch, watching TV or playing video games. This is not a good habit to allow children to learn. Today’s article talks about how successful parents stimulate their child’s thinking and using those creative thoughts to create a way of living for them as they grow older.

“Pint Sized Entrepreneurs” By Joel Boggess
As the excitement of school children builds to super-charged levels as they prepare to shift gears and fly into summertime, there has never been a better time for students to let their entrepreneurial wings catch the wind and soar. There are at least two reasons for this.

Number one: No one dreams better, about things that aren’t, than kids. Take 11 year-old, Richie Stachowski. In the crystal-clear waters of Hawaii, his imagination swam beneath the ocean’s surface with him and the idea for an aquatic walkie-talkie bubbled to the surface. Ritchie shared his deep-sea thinking with retail giants Wal Mart and Toys R US and they bought into it, hook, line, and sinker. Two years later, the young inventor, not yet old enough to drive himself to the bank, sold his toy company for a cool million.

The second reason for students to climb aboard the entrepreneurial flight deck is what John Maxwell calls the “law of timing.” Let’s just call it the “cuteness quotient.” Simply put, kids will never be as cute as they are today. Ask your local Girl Scout troop about the cuteness quotient and they’ll not only tell you that sales are good, they’ll also tell you that “Thin Mints,” “Samoas” and “Caramel deLites” make up about 44% of all Girl Scout cookie sales. The million-dollar question for pint-sized rain-makers is easy, “What is it that my school, church, or community is hungering for that I can provide with enthusiasm and excellence?”

John Shorb found a hunger. As his sixth-grade classmates were sleepily brushing away the newness of the dawn, this entrepreneur was busily working on the neighbors’ lawns. Through the teenage years, while some of his classmates were earning minimum wage, John was creating a legacy. At 19, his gross sales reached $125,000.

Do your children have a passion for animals? Why not encourage them to start their own pet grooming business? Do they have the skilled hands of a craftsman? A mobile car detailing business might be the perfect match. Both of those businesses can be started on a shoestring with NO PARENTAL TRANSPORTATION REQUIRED. Kids can start at one end of the neighborhood and go door-to-door delivering crackerjack service along with a toothy grin.

One of the best kid entrepreneur stories out there is about 15 year-old Chris Paolini. He used the fruit of his childhood fantasies to satisfy the craving for entertainment. He brought together tales of dragons and make-believe and put them in book form. “Eragon” went on to become a best seller with more than seven million copies sold. As a movie, the series grossed a quarter of a billion dollars worldwide.

What are your kids doing this summer? Consider the possibilities and make this summer count.

Today we finish the article from my previous post. Make sure you read my previous post and see how you can help maximize your child’s abilities.

4. Nature Does Not Always Have The Last Word In Your Child’s Learning and Brain Power

The nature vs. nurture debate. Some think that nature and genetics are the most important factors in how “smart” your child is, but newer research says nurture and environment can actually play a bigger role.

Did you know that hugging and kissing your child can actually enhance learning by increasing a fatty substance covering the nerves? Medically, this translates into faster thinking and better motor control.

I have a personal confession that shows you can nurture your child into learning to be smarter in a certain subject area.

My high school math teacher told me I was “dumb” and would never understand math. I was determined that my own children would never have to suffer over math the way I did.

From birth on, I told them how brilliant they were in math. My son graduated from college and doesn’t need math in his profession; however, my daughter actually used her advanced math skills in medical school, and fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a pediatrician.

Even though she was born very prematurely, which normally affects the brain and those quirky I.Q. scores, my daughter won advanced placement math contests with her high school classmates. So much for genetics. I’ll opt for nurture and learning every time.

5. Parents Influence Their Child’s Character, Attitude and Behavior

During the first five years of your child’s life, doctors, parent experts and child psychologists say that you are the primary person who helps shape your child’s character, attitude and behavior.

However, unless you find out all you can about good parenting, you’re likely to recreate your own childhood. This does not mean your childhood was bad, it simply means you have the ability to give your child better than the best and make your child smarter with a little extra effort.

Children model what they see, so giving them unconditional love, advice, instruction and specific ways to make tough choices when they need to, will do more for their character, behavior and attitude than any other thing you can do. My favorite book on this subject is Have A New Kid By Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman.

6. Brain-Body Connection: Smarter Foods Equals Smarter Kids

In 1997, I wrote a book called, What’s Food Got To Do With It? 101 Natural Remedies For Learning Disabilities. Medical science has proven beyond a doubt that there is a strong connection between food and learning.

As you’re grocery shopping, consider some of these facts:

The CDC states we have an obesity and Type II diabetes epidemic. Diet can often prevent both of these. The smarter child tip: keep your home filled with healthy foods, fruits, veggies and as many organic proteins as you can.

Want a smarter test taker? Eat protein before the test, not snacks to get a sugar high. Protein will stabilize blood sugar levels and improve learning, focus and memory.

The bottom line – food impacts your child’s learning ability and behavior. Show that you care for your child’s health and learning by reading more and asking your doctor what is healthy and what is not.

7. Belief In A Higher Power Can Make A Child Smarter Too

Kids who believe strongly in a higher power are more likely to make smarter choices. Their belief in a ‘higher power’ can be the conscience that helps them understand every action has a consequence. You may want to look into programs that instruct your child about God, spirituality or a higher power because it can help them behave with more integrity and act in a kinder, more loving way.

This article was written by best selling author Pat Wyman.

I found this article that discusses 7 ways for parents to help raise a smart child. The article was written by best selling author Pat Wyman - www.RaisingSmarterChildren.com.

If you’re serious about wanting a smarter child in brain, body and spirit, here are 7 new learning discoveries to give your child an advantage in school, home and life.

1. There Is More To Smart Than A High I.Q.

I.Q. scores are very limited and frequently used to measure a gap between learning potential and actual performance in school, so I.Q. cannot possibly be the only hallmark of your child’s learning ability.

I show kids how to learn and succeed in school, but never advise that you pressure your child for A’s so much that they become anxious and unhappy.

Your child has many talents that make him or her very unique. Nourish each of these if you want a smarter, more well rounded child, and you just may find you have the next Pavarotti on your hands.

2. Give Your Child’s Brain A Big Boost With These Fats

The World Health Organization and respected medical journals have proven that omega 3 fats like DHA and ARA (such as those found in fish oil) can give your child’s brain just the boost it needs for learning, faster thinking and better memory. One study even shows that Omega 3’s can reduce or eliminate ADD/ADHD symptoms.

Omega 3’s have close to a thousand other health benefits so many doctors now recommend taking them in supplement form. (Ask your doctor before taking any supplements).

Check the quality of omega 3 supplements because some are contaminated with toxins like mercury. Toxins can be safely removed but not all brands do this.

One Omega 3 supplement my family takes comes from Norway and is on our site at HowToLearn.com/omega3.html. It is certified number one in safety and quality by the organization with the most stringent safety standards in the world.

3. Music Can Make Your Child Smarter

Controversy aside, new research on “The Mozart Effect”, says it has a molecular basis in the brain and improves spatial abilities. Your child uses spatial abilities in subjects like math and science. Several studies show higher I.Q. scores after listening to certain Mozart selections too. Do yourself a favor and type in “The Mozart Effect” in Google for more information.

To Be Continued…