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©iStockphoto.com/Maria Bibikova
Editor’s
note: Today the Meridian staff has a new face — author, TV
personality, and professional speaker Dian Thomas. She says, “In
the information explosion, I think all of us are finding more to
do and we definitely have a lot more stress. Gone are the rocking
chair days on the porch. But wait — it’s not too late
to really enjoy life if you set that as your intention and have
creative ideas to do. In my new column, Enjoying the Journey (Putting
Fun and Adventure in Your Life), I will share with you ideas and
activities that will have you rocking and rolling on your time off.
You will be able to create memories with your family and friends
that will last forever.”
Let’s face it. Challenges are
a part of everyday life. It doesn’t matter who you are, where
you live, or what you do for a living. You will face
problems. As Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world nothing
is certain but death and taxes.” It’s a safe bet you
can add dealing with challenges to that list.
The only difference is with challenges
we can choose how we deal with difficulties. Over the years, I’ve
learned to cope with stress and problems by using a creative formula.
I call this formula my “three P’s in a pod.”
• Keep a positive
mindset.
• Be open to possibilities.
• Rely on people to help and guide you.
Keep a Positive Mindset
Every year when I was a little girl,
my parents, my brothers and I would take a trip to Brigham Young
University in Provo, Utah. As we walked across campus, my parents
smiled, and said, “This is where you’re going to college.”
Thus, a college degree became my goal. Unfortunately, not everyone
agreed.
When I was in the tenth grade I took
an aptitude test designed to guide my career choice. Shortly after
taking the test, I was called into the school counselor’s
office. With test in hand, Miss Roberts inquired about my post-high
school plans. I confidently told her that I was going to attend
Brigham Young University.
She replied, “I don’t think
you’ll make it. You scored 14 out of a possible 100 in English
and 98 out of 100 in problem-solving. You simply don’t have
the aptitude in English and writing to survive college.”
She then added that because of my problem-solving
skills, I might want to consider becoming an auto mechanic.
I decided then and there that I was
not going to allow another person to dictate the direction of my
life. And, once I graduated high school, I was accepted at Brigham
Young University. College required a lot of hard work and it took
me five years instead of four to graduate, but I did graduate! Later,
I even received my master’s degree.
As, Henry Ford said, “If you
believe you can do something you can; if you believe you can’t
you’re probably right.”
Be Open to Possibilities
The next “P” stands for
possibilities, and it’s something this country
is known for. In fact, America is often referred to as the land
of opportunities or possibilities. The pilgrims came for religious
freedom, and today many come to America in search of new possibilities.
Brian Tracy, a self-help author on
leadership and business said, “The potential of the average
person is like a huge ocean un-sailed, a new continent unexplored,
a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward
some great good.”
In 1944, Frederick Smith was born to
a wealthy family. But, as the Smith family could tell you, money
isn’t everything. Fred’s father died when he was only
four years old. He attended Yale University, where he wrote a paper
for his economics class suggesting the concept of overnight package
delivery. The professor wasn’t impressed, and Fred’s
grade suffered. After graduation, Fred joined the U.S. Marine Corps,
was assigned to fly in Vietnam, and completed 200 missions.
Fred returned to the United States
in 1970, still sold on his idea of overnight mail delivery. In the
early 1970s he launched Federal Express, which has been referred
to as, “One of the boldest gambles the business world has
ever seen.” Packages would be flown to Memphis, Tennessee
each night, sorted, flown back out and then driven to their final
destination. The first delivery was in 1973 and today, FedEx is
a $35 billion global transportation business servicing 220 countries.
William Arthur Ward asserts, “Nothing
limits achievement like small thinking; nothing expands possibilities
like unleashed imagination.”
Rely on People to Help and
Guide You
People can be a great gateway to success
if you are positive, open, and interested. Just as Google builds
a network of Internet resources, a key to success is building a
people network by always taking an interest in others, learning
about their skills and talents, and supporting and encouraging them
in their goals and aspirations. People’s lives are blessed
as you allow them to help you.
In fact, sometimes we face problems
that we can’t solve on our own. For me, one of those challenges
was weight. After a 20-year, hectic schedule, much of which was
spent on the road eating delicious food, I found myself tipping
the scales at 326½ pounds. Over the years I tried many different
weight loss programs, but none of them worked. Still I didn’t
give up my weight loss goal.
About four years ago, following a presentation
in California, a woman named Jackie Keller, founder of Nutrifit,
approached me. She boldly told me that she could help me lose weight.
Because of my skepticism, I figured she was trying to sell me something.
But, I took her number and told her I would contact her if I wanted
more information.
Three months later during a visit to
New York City, my knees hurt so bad because of the extra weight
that we couldn’t walk anywhere. That was the last straw! When
I returned home, I called Jackie. For the past three and a half
years, with Jackie as my coach, I have lost 85 pounds through exercise
and a change in my diet. I can’t tell you how glad I am that
I did not block Jackie out of my Google people search.
There will be things in you life that
are very difficult and may be almost impossible for you to accomplish.
Go back in your Google people network and see if there is some one
you can reach out to. For when you reach out and let others help
you or you reach out and help someone else, you are both blessed.
There is and old Chinese proverb that
says, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appears.
It can also go the other way. When the teacher is ready, the student
will appear. In your life of leadership, you will be able to bless
many people life by reaching out and encouraging them. This will
put air under their wings and they will fly in places they never
dreamed possible.
Every morning choose to make it a good
day. Remember my “three P’s in a pod”:
1. Keep a positive mindset.
2. Be open to possibilities.
3. Rely on people to help and guide you.
Be sure to join me every Thursday,
when I will share with you proven idea and activities that will
having you say, “What great fun and adventure!” You
will not want to miss my recipe for making ice cream in two plastic
bags, or make a delicious banana boat. What could be more fun than
making apple pie on a stick?
See you on Thursdays.
Dian Thomas is a media veteran
with more than 25 years of experience and 5,000 media appearances.
She stared with Johnny Carson one night and her book Roughing it
Easy soared to the top of the New York Times best selling list.
See some of Dian’s clever camping ideas at http://www.CampingWithDian.com.
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© 2007 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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