Ordinary People Can Make a Difference--Annie Tacha

Grand Island, Nebraska ten-year-old Annie Tacha wanted to raise $1,000 to help Hall County Sheriff's K-9 unit purchase a bulletproof vest. Chief Deputy Chris Rea asked her to consider raising $5,000 for a new dog. Their 12-year-old service dog, Ringo, had retired, and their other, Brix, had developed cancer. Annie decided to raise enough money for dog and vest. Through car washes, walking dogs, and talking to reporters, she has now raised more that $14,000! This money will be used to purchase two dogs. Through her efforts, Annie has inspired other children to raise funds. One unnamed girl brought in $20.50 that she had raised at her lemonade stand. Oftentimes in our lives, we see a need in our community, and hope that government, or some other person will step up and satisfy it. We look to others to seize challenge, take risk, and make effort. Annie Tacha is a wonderful example of a 10-year-old who decided to make a difference. Her courageous and caring effort not only satisfied canine unit's need, but inspired an entire community. We all have goodness in us to do similar acts of heroism. Ours may not be as dramatic--but they may be needed as much. Let's all look around us, find needs that should be satisfied, hurts that can be healed, and lowered countenances that can be lifted up. Related Quotes: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill

Being Proactive

Have you noticed how a plastic grocery bag acts by side of road? The wind from passing cars tosses it into air according to direction car is traveling. The bag has no control; it travels by external force of air currents. It ends up where wind determines. We need not be subject to winds of external forces. We have freedom to choose our destinations. Don't we? Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. We often allow ourselves to be swept along by life, rather than proactively choosing our paths. We need to passionately pursue what we want. How can we take control of our lives and live our dreams? Know Where You Want to Go Zig Ziglar says that if you don't know where you want to go, you'll surely get there. The first step we take in planning any vacation is to decide where we want to go, or what we want to do. Where do you want to go in life? What do you want to do, have, and be? Do you want to lose your extra pounds? How about becoming debt free? What earnings or sales goals have you set? Success is a choice. Failure is usually result of not choosing. Write Down What You Choose to Accomplish If you are serious about proactively pursuing your goals, write them down. Carry list with you every day. By doing so, you will have frequent reminders of your future achievements. Know Why You Want to Get There Without a compelling reason, we have difficulty motivating ourselves when opposition comes. Daily visualize accomplishing your goal. Involve your senses. How will you feel? How will you look? Can you smell and taste it? What will your achievement position you to do next? Inter-relate your goals. For instance, ponder how accomplishing your sales goal will help you realize your earnings goals. How do these goals relate to your goal of ridding debt? Plan and Take Active Steps to Get You There The likelihood of reaching our desires is very low if we aren“t proactive. To become debt-free, we must change our spending habits, pay off our smallest debt, and then add what we were paying on first one to next.