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January, 2005
4 People You Need To




by Mark Thompson

Outrageous lifestyles of successful living are envied by most of the world. Are you part of the envied? Or are you part of the envying? If you are living a successful life by your own standards, congratulations. If you haven't quite reached that level yet, then this article is for you.

There are several characteristics that those who practice successful living possess. The characteristics listed below are NOT any of them. In fact, they are the opposite. See if you possess these characteristics and, if you do, my advice to you is… change.

THE DELIGHTFUL DUD
The delightful dud is the person who answers questions with one word. Any time there is anyone who wants to initiate a conversation with the Delightful Dud, the conversation is dead before it gets started. These people are not mean or necessarily rude. They just don't believe they have much to contribute, so they cut it short as much as possible. Consequently, the conversations become fewer and fewer.

Eventually, the Delightful Dud gets the reputation of the dull guy or girl. Or you might say he or she is a dud. Don't be a dud. Practice your natural personality. Did you know that you were created to enjoy life? Did you know that life is meant to be tasted? There are juices to be experienced. When was the last time you took a chance? Live life as it's something to be loved. Practice makes perfect. Practice passion. Practice charisma. Its who you really are.

THE SOCIAL SOLOIST
The Social Soloist is the person who never begins to live and love life. This person finds him/herself at home, alone, on the couch, every night, watching silly reality programs. The Social Soloist finds purpose in who is going to have to eat the next set of buffalo testicles or who is going to be kicked off an island.

The irony of the whole thing is, the Social Soloist is at home experiencing nothing while he/she watches those who are actually living and loving life. Does that make sense? Instead of trying to escape through the boob tube, get out and meet people. If you must start small, invite some people over to watch a decent movie. Eventually, it will develop into a social fun time and, who knows, it just may move out of the TV room.

THE POWERFUL PROCRASTINATOR
Never do today what you can put of until tomorrow. Ever hear that one? How ridiculous! Have you ever known anyone that lived by this motto? How frustrating! The Powerful Procrastinator always finds him/herself stressed out and behind in life. Why? They keep putting it off! Everything is always put off until later. Nothing is ever done in time. And when it eventually gets done, it's shoddy and half-way done. They just want to hurry up and get over with… whatever "it  is.

Laundry. Homework. Dishes. Meetings. Confrontation. Putting gas in the car. Changing Careers. You name it, it never gets done when it needs to get done. Life will pass the Powerful Procrastinator by. And when it's too late to make up his/her mind, regret will take hold. Do not let regret arise and dominate your mind. Instead, take control of your mind right now. Make a freakin list and stick by it! Don't fall prey to the practice of the Power Procrastinator. Remember, practice makes perfect.

THE UNKNOWN OPTIMIST
These people have such positive energy they could suck the life out of the room if they were to make a phone call during a New Years Eve party. While everyone is having such a good time, making plans and looking forward to the future, the unknown optimist looks to the dark side. The unknown optimist looks to the dark side of everything. If you were to tell this person that he just won $1,000.000.00, he would say something like, "Great! Now I'm going to be in a higher tax bracket and have to pay more taxes."

The unknown optimist lives in a vacuum that you do not want to live in. It's the "everything sucks  vacuum. Take inventory of your overall attitude. Don't take the extreme opposite route either. If you go to the opposite extreme, you'll find yourself on the Pollyanna platform. A great place to be is in the realistic but optimistic middle. While you're there, be sure to live and love life.

Zig Ziglar says, "The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth of the hole." Do you feel like you're living in a rut? Grab Success & Inner Strength and walk through the 4 steps to living and loving life. http://www.forward-living.com/index2.htm


by: Sandra Mahoney

Women create friendship opportunities. We suggest get togethers, shopping excursions, road trips, and coffee dates. We remember birthdays and anniversaries and make sure to stay connected. We call each other on the phone for no reason and meet for coffee, lunch, gossip and/or tears.

Being a woman and a mother is not about sacrifice its about investing in others as well as yourself. Striking the perfect balance between these two involves a little or a lot of fun. And who better to share fun times with than our girlfriends...let's face it ladies, girlfriends need girlfriends. The below suggestions are designed to provide ideas to create unique memories for you and your best gal pals. In planning how to celebrate, put your heads together, and don't forget your camera!

Plan a girls' night out:
Does this really need an explanation? In a nutshell, girls' night out is a tradition reinvented by generation upon generation of ladies looking to let their hair down, escape from their ordinary lives and get together for drinks and appetizers to gossip about everything: relationships, fashion tips, boyfriends/husbands, or even the unfortunate couple at the table next to them. This excursion can also be girls night in, i.e. staying at one girlfriend's house sipping wine, watching movies, snacking on junkfood. What more could a group of girlfriends need?

Start a monthly club:
No this is not an opportunity to discuss your period! Having a monthly club is the result of organizing a dedicated group of women to meet monthly for girl talk and gossip. Whether is be high school friends, college friends, mothers in the hood, meet with them once a month at someone's home, at a bar or restaurant for silly, rejuvenating fun!

Go on a weekend getaway:
So it may take some advance planning and babysitting arrangements. It will be worth it Mama! Does someone own a summer home that you know? Can you find an affordable hotel? Pack some food, drinks, even games and get started on your roadtrip escape. Or be spontaneous... destination unknown. Pick up your best friend and head north, south, east, west. Who cares...getting their will be more than half the fun!

Be newbies:
Try something new to you and your friends. A camping and kayaking trip, a guided hike, a cooking class, wine tasting, even sushi. Sharing a new experience with close friends is just one more way of breaking out of you comfort zone and building incredible memories. You may even pick up a new hobby in the process.

Pick a reason to celebrate:
Is someone coming to town, did a relationship just end, does one of the girls need a pick-me-up? Are you dying to try out the new karaoke joint and show off your new leather boots or did you just find out it's Brad Pitt's birthday (December 18)? Celebrate it! Be cute and send Girls Night Out Invitations or call around last minute and see who's up for a night out. Since we were little girls we loved to play dress up so make the night extra special and tell the girls to wear their funkiest or their flirtiest.

About The Author
Sandra is mother of 3 and co-founder of http://www.million-dollar-mama.com a website devoted to helping mothers rediscover their favorite hobbies like travel, fitness and girls night out.  sandy@million-dollar-mama.com
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