Yes We Can Change - Add Education, Goals and Challenges to your To Do List!

“It is never too late to be who you might have been.” George Eliot, writer
(1819-1880)

Why do we give up on learning and not challenge ourselves to learn more? Is it because learning gets pushed to the bottom of our “To Do” list? How many people have settled for less because they didn’t want or were unwilling to push themselves that extra step to finish a degree, earn a certification or write a novel? We are capable of so much more, but does that voice of doubt hold us back?

I have reached my first milestone, completing all lower division Math classes in order to transfer to the University. Yes, it feels good. I have gotten past the hurdle when the voice of doubt would have told me I couldn’t do it and I would have normally dropped Math, being that it was my worst subject. Always, I would promise myself that I would take the classes again later. Well, there comes a point where there are no more next semesters and that voice of doubt begins to sound like a broken record. For all of us today, education and goals are so important and it will unlock more doors and provide us with more opportunities than without it. I’m reminded of a saying from the writer George Eliot (1819-1880) “It is never too late to be who you might have been.”

How do you know when it’s time for something bigger and better in life? Each of us is searching for that ultimate point in life to be able to say we did it. Have you seen the cartoon of the man and the little angel that sits on his right shoulder encouraging him to do something and then the little red devil pops onto the left shoulder and provides a doubtful response to all that the angel encourages? Listed below are some ways to silence that little red devil – the voice of doubt and pursue your goals.

You can’t do better than that! Let your mantra become, “I can do better than that,” and repeat it over and over again.

You’ll be old by the time you finish! Guess what? Time waits for no-one and you’ll be older anyway whether you take the time to get an education, write that novel or not. Probably you’ll be a lot smarter than you were and maybe, making more money.

You’ll have to sacrifice so much it will hurt: What will you really be giving up? Assemble a team of supporters to help you while you pursue your educational goals or take that class that could move you to the next pay level or write that novel. Sure, it will be an uphill battle, but the reward is worth it.

Stop doubting yourself and keep an open mind. Give yourself all the encouragement you can muster. Quoting Barack Obama in his acceptance speech winning the Presidential Election in 2008, “Yes, we can change.”

Good Luck in all your endeavors.

Thirteen Things About The Bedtime of the Sky and Other Sleepy-Bye Stories

The Bedtime of The Sky and Other Sleepy Bye Stories is an illustrated Children's book of five of my original bedtime stories in verse. This book was actually written long ago for my nieces and nephew, John, Catherine and Elizabeth, when they were very young children. Although they are now in college, actually two have graduated, I do have a new little reader to write for, my four year old niece Jillian! I love writing poetry and fantasy stories and to mix magic with ordinary experiences. These bedtime stories in verse reflect my idea that there is magic in everyday events. For instance, I just know that there is a Dragon in the sock drawer that eats socks so we cannot find them, or that Dolls have a secret longing to help us clean up our room late at night! A little about myself, I was born in England and although my parents moved us all back to America about a year after I was born, I truly believe that the stories and British classics that I grew up with, have had a huge impact i...

Frank Nash: the Most Inspirational English Teacher I Ever Did Know! By Vincent Zandri author of The Remains

I never set out to be a writer. Back in 1979, when I entered the Second Form in a 200 year old, all boys, military school called, The Albany Academy, I simply wanted to become a rock n’ roll star. Like Ringo or Keith Moon, I wanted to play drums in a huge rock band, make a ton of money doing it, get lots of girls, and see the world. While most of the uniformed boys sat attentively in math class, taking copious notes, I drew illustrations of huge drums sets and stared out the window. All that changed when for the first time, I was introduced to Frank Nash in my second term English lit and writing course. First thing that caught my attention was the classroom itself. The Academy was an old building even back then, having been built in the 1920s. Made of stone and strong woods, with real blackboards instead of chalk boards, the place seemed like a kind of time warp. A school caught perpetually in the 19th century instead of one that would see the 21st century in only two more decades. But...

Seven Things About Dangerous Impulses

Today, I we have author F.M. Meredith visiting with us. I have had the pleasure of meeting Marilyn at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival a number of years ago. Join me as she shares seven things about her book. 1. Dangerous Impulses is # 9 in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. Though every mystery is complete, every crime solved and the book written as a stand-alone, things happen to the continuing characters: the police officers and their families. Rocky Bluff is a small Southern California Beach community, located between Ventura and Santa Barbara, and mostly overlooked by tourists. 2. In every RBPD mystery/crime novel there are ongoing characters. One of the most popular with readers is Officer Gordon Butler. Nothing ever seems to go easy for him. Though he is not the “star” in Dangerous Impulses like he was in No Bells , I think his fans will be happy with what he ends up doing near the end of the boo...

First Draft to Published

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