Thanks DI

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."
~Albert Schweitzer

A friend sent this to me, and it serves as a good reminder of the value of friendships.
(Thanks DI!)

TWO GLASSES OF WINE

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
when 24 hours in a day are not enough,
remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in
front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and
empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between
the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it in to the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else
He asked once more if the jar was full.
The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space
between the sand The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things;
your family, your children, your health, your friends, and
your favorite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only
they remained, your life would still be full.'

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and
your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'There is no room
for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you
spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room
for the things that are important to you.'

'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down the ski slope.

There will always be time to clean the house.
Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented.

The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that
no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of
glasses of wine with a friend.'

Share this with a friend. I JUST DID!

It has been a while...

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."
~e.e. cummings

Hummmm a lot has happened since my last post. My dad had a close brush with death in the fall after some heart issues. (He is much better now.) I am now working for myself representing a line of fine sterling silver jewellery that is sold mostly through home parties. Oh, and I turned 40 last month!

Sometimes things happen in one area of your life, and it gets you thinking about many areas. I think turning 40 had me thinking about my life, what I have accomplished, and what I still would like to accomplish. It had me thinking alot about my career. In some peoples eyes, I had done well in my career. My official title this past fall was VP of Marketing of an HR company. I had worked in the HR space for over 18 years. I got to thinking that it will probably be over 20 years before I retire, did I want to be doing this for another 20 years? I needed a change. Change is what I got, and I could not be happier!

I came across selling a new line of jewellery as an after thought. My old boss called me and told me about this line of jewellery. It was a wierd conversation at first. She knows that I designed my own jewellery and sold it at various tradeshows and craft shows. She called and told me how she had gone to a jewellery party the night before. That I should sell this jewellery. I have to admit, my first reaction was something like "ok... why would I want to do that? I take great pleasure in designing my own jewellery and selling it." She told me that the rep who did the show sold over $2400 in jewellery that night and she earned 30% of that in commission. Not only that, the hostess received 30% of the sales (over $700) in free jewellery just for hosting the event in her house! Ok so that got my interest.

When I went to the jewellery showroom at head office and I saw all of the jewellery, I signed up right on the spot! The hard part was deciding which pieces I was not going to get.

I have had many jewellery shows since I signed up and I have made some good money and have earned lots of free jewellery. I love meeting new people at each of the shows I do, and I love sharing the business opportunity with my friends. Life is good! I could not be happier. Plus I am working towards a goal of earning a free trip to Aruba!

Wish me luck!