Surprise!

Since the recent announcement of the Republican Vice President pick I got to thinking... when was the last time I was surprised? I can't remember the last time I experienced a genuine - I had no idea moment. Not that this is a bad thing. Part of me likes to be surprised but there is a strong part of me that likes things to be predictable or expected. But for a moment last night I was amazed and delighted about the fact that something was fresh and new on the news. It was actually interesting.

Between the news shows over reporting and gossip magazines being super nosey, most public figure behavior is rarely a surprise. People are hounded by these types of media who try and piece together a story. We hear about small pieces of information along the way and then at some point the whole story comes out to no one's surprise. There has been so much speculation about the VP picks. News shows have analyzed things so much that they seem to think they had figured everything out.

So imagine my surprise when all of the news networks had no idea that Governor Sarah Palin was the VP pick. It was sort of fun. I had forgotten what is was like to hear something for the first time and think to myself, Wow! I had no idea.

In all our fascination with knowing every intricate detail of a public figures' lives have we been missing out on the simple joy of being surprised?

Listen to Mom when it comes to voting...

Words of wisdom from my mom... "I was at the clubhouse yesterday picking up the mail when a neighbor volunteered that he wasn't voting. I have learned NEVER to encourage people to vote. He said both of the candidates were awful and that he really wanted to vote for Hillary..."

I am not a big fan of either presidential candidate this year but the thought of not voting never crossed my mind. There was too much effort put into my right to be able to vote to even consider not doing it. One of the main reasons I will be voting is out of respect for those who fought for this right. That being said, it would be irresponsible to just show up and fill in the bubbles without thought just because I can. Just as important of the act of voting itself is making sure you are educated on the issues and the candidates.

Even though you don't like any of the candidates they are our choices-they are it! Figure out which one most represents your views and concerns because they are all we have whether you like them or not. Placing a vote in an election means you care deeply about our country and if you can't determine which candidate would most represent your views or concerns then you shouldn't place a vote. It would be just as disrespectful, irresponsible, and unpatriotic to show up and place a vote without some level of conviction, as not voting at all.

So the next time you here someone say they are not going to vote, don't encourage them to vote, encourage them to get educated and take full responsibility for their right to vote.

John McCain







Barack Obama

Can Excellence Be Taught?

I had the opportunity to spend some time with my nephew this past week. We were doing chores at my house.

I don't think cleaning house is anyone's favorite activity but it is always better when you have help. When your 6 years old, it is only fun if it is a game or if you get to use the cool tools and gadgets. We started pretty well when we got out the attachments out for the vacuum. That lasted about 10 minutes before he got bored and wanted to watch TV. I ended up finishing the job and pushing him to finish all the other assignments he was given. I wasn't really expecting a significant amount of work to get done but I was surprised by his behavior.

At work, we all have to do things we don't like to do from time to time. We have all been in those situations where we were so excited to take on a project and then realized half way in to it that it wasn't exactly what you thought it would be. When this happens at work though... you just do it. You push through and complete the task. If your boss asks you to do something, you do it and you do it to the best of your ability.

This got me thinking... how do you teach people to do the best they can with everything they do? There are sure plenty of people out there who didn't get this lesson growing up and once they reach adulthood is it too late? I have worked with a few people in the past who were content with average or the minimum. As a leader, can you develop the habit of excellence in an adult?

As an Aunt, how much do you push a lesson of excellence with kids? I shared this story with someone else and they said, "he is only 6, what do you expect?" I understand that he is still very young, but don't you have to start developing this type of attitude from the very beginning? How do you instill excellence in children so they grow up wanting to work hard and putting their best effort towards everything?

Are they learning the right lesson if you keep making them do the job over until it is done right? How do you develop the habit of excellence in kids without coming across as a control freak or leaving with them with feelings inadequacy? How do you keep from becoming that parent the child describes in therapy as an adult as, "no matter what I did it was never good enough for them?" How can you correct the child in a way that they will want to do their best not because of a fear of getting in trouble with the parent but because it is the right thing to do?