“Take the obvious, add a cupful of brains,  a generous pinch of imagination, a bucketful of courage and daring, stir well and bring to a boil.” - Bernard Mannes Burach

As most of my loyal readers know…I am gearing up for the biggest job of my life…I am having my first child in 5 weeks! I have dreamt of this time my entire life (what little girl doesn’t dream of the big wedding, the dress and being a mom) and am so excited. We have waited a long time for this amazing moment…my husband and I have been together for over 10 years and married 8 years. We have put our career first, travelled, bought fancy cars, eaten out every night-the list goes on and on. And, now it’s time to put one little human being first in our lives. 

So, when putting all the plans in place I have been extremely motivated that everything be perfect!  I set up the photographer, registered, signed up for classes, picked out the name, did my work paperwork…in the first 3 months!  I am ready!!!  (Except the nursery furniture that was ordered months ago finally arrived after being back-ordered.  No worries-it goes up this weekend).

So, when deciding on the nursery…my husband and I decided to be creative.  We both are generally creative people-we have to be working in media-and thought long and hard what our little boy’s room should be like.  Well, as all my loyal readers also know…we love dogs.  And, we want to teach our child the importance of all life and how to treat God’s greatest creatures-animals!

We decided on a dog park theme and hired a very talented muralist (Dan) to paint it.  I collected pictures of family dogs from the past, current friends dogs and of course our two furry children.  I explained the theme and the feel I wanted-soft, water-color’ish and warm.  I wanted every stroke to have meaning.  Even the willow tree is adopted from our first home together-we had our engagment pictures taken under it and it holds many memories of our early years of marriage. I want to be able to share stories about all the animals that will live in the nursery with Baby Balbo-so he will understand how important these precious creatures are in all our lives.  They all have a special meaning and teach a lesson.

And, so Dan went to work-logging about 100 hours in 3 weeks.  The transformation of our once office to a room filled with creativity and love was amazing.  Every night I would go in and check out the progress-it might only be a few additions of color or shading-but it made an amazing difference. 

Creativity began in my husband’s and my minds but grew in Dan’s imagination.  The end result is a beautiful, serene and safe environment for our little baby boy to come home to and learn from.

Did I add we are hoping he will be a veterinarian??  Just kidding!  Enjoy the pictures and get creative today!

Also, you will notice the above picture of Fozzie and Sophie has a sign next to it that reads “blank Dog Park.”  We have covered up the name-we are keeping our baby boy’s name a surprise until he enters the world.  And, below is a picture of Dan the Muralist…the upmost creative individual I have ever met!

 ”Try and fail.  But don’t fail to try.” -Stephen Kaqqwa

 It is budget time at the station.  And, I actually enjoy the strategic aspect of planning for the upcoming 3 years.  You can be creative and develop your ideas for growth etc.  It actually is pretty fun.  But, this year I am dealing with alot more numbers since I have a sales team now.  This is the first time I have had to get down and dirty with budgets, commissions etc.  And, I actually am enjoying learning and the process.  Of course, I am a little slower than those around me and there is definately a learning curve.  But, I am trying my best while making a few mistakes along the way. I look at this as a time to expand my knowledge.  And, I am working hard to keep up!  This is what growth is all about!

Check out the excerpt below from MIT…

Whatever you find yourself having to do, do the best you can at it.Even if you’re not very good at it.

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

I believe enthusiasm is contagious…and absolutely necessary to be successful.  It is a sign of hope that leads to positive outcomes!  I love the story below because it is so something I would do!

 The Georgia Bulldogs, a popular college football team, hated losing.  They
really did.  And they hated the Florida Gators as well.So you can imagine how much they would hate to lose to Florida. 

So when it came time for Georgia to play Florida, Georgia coach Mark 
Richt told his team that the team was going to create enthusiasm like 
never before.

They were going to celebrate so much after their first touchdown in that
game that they would get a penalty for excessive celebration.

If the team didn’t create enough enthusiasm after the first touchdown of
the game to warrant excessive celebration, they would be doing a lot of
early morning running as punishment afterwards.

When Georgia scored its first touchdown that game, the entire Georgia team
got off the bench and celebrated on the field.  That enthusiasm pumped up
the team and the crowd and gave them the psychological edge in that game.

Georgia 42
Florida 30

Nothing quite like enthusiasm indeed.

 This poem was shared with me from a very dear co-worker.  She said that in highschool she and friend has this hanging in their locker.  This person is now a very successful on-air tv personality as well as a beautiful person-inside and out.  It must have motivated her!

 Author is unknown…too bad because whoever wrote this deserves much credit.  Enjoy!

“When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.”

 ”Adults are always asking children what they want to be when they grow up because they’re looking for ideas.”

-Paula Poundstone

What do you want to be when you grow up?  You better decide now…and set your focus on it.  I wanted to share this interesting article from Vic Johnson.  It is quite inspiring!  -Maryann

Whether you liked his politics or not, much can be learned from the life of former President Clinton. Grolier’s “New Book of Knowledge” reports that as a teenager “Clinton thought of becoming a doctor or a reporter or even a musician. But after a fateful meeting with President John F. Kennedy, while still in high school, he made up his mind to enter politics.” At that moment a vision was born that he would hold onto - that he would glorify in his mind over and over - for the next 30 years, until he himself was elected President at the age of 46.

Jay Leno, who succeeded the venerable Johnny Carson as host of “The Tonight Show,” first envisioned that he would be the host when he was just 22-years-old and unknown and unproven as a comedian, much less as host of a show of such regard. For twenty years he enthroned in his heart an ideal that most people would have thought was “foolish, outlandish and impossible.”The ancient writer tells us in Proverbs that “Without a vision, the people perish.” And Thoreau told us that “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” No doubt because the masses are without a vision for their lives.

What is your vision for your future, your ideal life? Is it written down? Do you review it and think about it often? Have you “enthroned” it in your heart? Is your life organized around goals and objectives that will ensure your vision is reached?Wallace D. Wattles, wrote “There is no labor from which most people shrink as they do from that of sustained and consecutive thought; it is the hardest work in the world.” And yet it is the “sustained and consecutive thought” about our vision that is the first and primary labor of achievement.Thoreau also wrote one of my favorite passages of all time. And it gives us the best reason there is to stop what you’re doing today and identify the vision for your life. “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”And that’s worth thinking about!Vic JohnsonVic Johnson is a speaker, author and entrepreneur. You can visit his website at: www.asamanthinketh.net

“A man never stands so tall as when he bends over to help a child.” -Abraham Lincoln

A co-worker and friend of mine just recently started a blog.  His reasoning behind starting the blog was to help other people.  He is our Chief Engineer at our TV station and is fully aware of the confusion behind the DTV conversion that will occur next February.  There is alot of miscommunication out there-and this conversion will effect everyone.  Therefore, he decided to try to clarify the basics and empower people to take the necessary steps.  Give the gift of his expertise-readers have their own Engineer to ask questions to!

He was never asked or required to start this project.  In fact, he didn’t know how to even get the blog started.  One day he came to my office, sat down and said he wanted to start this project to help others. He decided on his own it was the right thing to do.  Next thing I know, he has written numerous posts and is getting emails with questions from around the country!

I was very impressed with him for two reasons…1-he took the initiative to start a blog on his own 2-his blog is to help others.  It is rare you see both initiative and caring in peoples actions. 

Kudos to Russell for providing his invaluable knowledge to viewers everywhere.  You have motivated me!!!

 ”Call it what you will, incentives are what get people to work harder.” -Nikita Khrushchev

I am sharing another thought from one of my favorites-Brian Kim.  I completely agree that different incentives motivate people.  Whether it’s money, status, family time, fear etc.  The key is figuring out what incentives motivate you and put them in action to be successful.

 From Brian Kim MIT of the day

Different things work for different people.Therefore, it’s crucial to see and record what works for you.

“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.”  -Oprah Winfrey

I received this quote in a daily email blast I get…and had to share.  First of all I love the message and second of all…I worship Oprah!

Talk about the glass 1/2 full…remember this quote today as you encounter all the day will offer.  Remember it’s what you have…not what you are lacking!

“Running is one of the best solutions to a clear mind.” -Sasha Azevedo

I am inspired!  Not, not to run a marathon 7 months pregnant.  But, by my colleague who is currently training for a marathon this fall.  In fact…she says in her post that her reasoning behind doing it is…”Motivation and the amazing sense of accomplishment I’ll have crossing the finish line.”

Isn’t that a motivation…a sense of accomplishing a goal that you have worked so hard for.  I will keep you updated on her training…and of course ask her to write a guest blog post when she completes the run!

Who knows…after I have the baby I might train for a 5k…gotta start small and work my way up!  And, besides I love to meet a goal!

“I believe that each personality is complete at conception and comes in the soul of every child.”
- Taylor Hartman

One thing that has been consistent in my life is that I have been told I have “personality.”  Sometimes (in fact most times) I think it has been communicated in a sarcastic manner.  I have never taken offense to it…I am who I am. 

In fact, in the Meyers-Briggs personality test I took last year…I was an ENTJ…Extrovert, Intuitive, Thinking and Judging.  If you read my profile that is linked above…it pretty much sums up “yours truly.”  I’m “special” :) 

Today I was at the Dr.’s office getting our 4D sonogram completed to make sure all was good with our little boy due in September. It was one of the most outrageous experiences of my life-seeing this little person inside of me…really seeing him…and his personality already!  Isn’t this picture amazing!!  And, we still have two months to go. On the right of his head, the darker area is a shadow from the imaging…nothing to worrry about.  Very interesting on what technology can do now!

The technician said that in all her years of doing this she has never seen a baby in the womb with more “personality” and as “expressive” as Baby Balbo.  He hasn’t even been born yet and the word “personality” is being used.   He was pouting, smiling, yawning, sticking his tongue out, covering his face with his hands etc. 

We couldn’t stop laughing at how it was almost as if he knew we were watching and he was entertaining us!  I even have video to prove it (I need to figure out how to download it off my disc).

Of course, my husband pointed to me (sarcastically of course)…because of my ”personality.”  It must be hereditary… and we’re in trouble!  Again, I heard some sarcasm in that comment.  

How about you…ever been told you have personality?  In a sarcastic or genuine way?  Do you care?

Baby Balbo can have all the personality he wants…only another ENTJ in the house will be a challenge