This came through on an email this morning – not sure who to give credit to….

well, except for the greatest “tech support” we have – JESUS!

So for all my “techie” (and not-so-techie) friends out there in techno-land…..

INSTALLING LOVE

Tech Support: Yes…..how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I’ve decided to install LOVE. Can you guide me though the process?

Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I’m not very technical, but I think I’m ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running?

Customer: Let’s see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge, and Resentment running right now.

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?

Customer: I don’t know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, “Error – Program not run on external components.” What should I do?

Tech Support: Don’t worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support: Now, copy them to the “My Heart” directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So LOVE is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. LOVE is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

…..And the greatest of these is love. I Cor 13:13

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

And don’t forget to make it count!

~Carla

Yep, it’s that time again…time to make the New Year’s Resolutions….and I love it!

I know, most folks shudder at the thought but I love  pondering my resolutions – setting new goals – making my “to-do” lists – looking for solutions – planning – dreaming – and that goes along with it!

Well, unless we are adding the dreaded “diet and exercise” to the list….that’s where my motivation wanes. Those things are just not in my “strengths”….and I am learning to “play to my strengths” especially for this new year.

I had the opportunity to read some amazing books this past year (check out my page on Goodreads.com) and two that have really renewed the “strengths” philosophy in me are:

Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham

and

Your Child’s Strengths by Jennifer Fox

From the Now, Discover Your Strengths book I was able to not only discover my own strengths and identify them but also learn how to use them – especially in my work. I highly recommend this book and the profile testing – you can find out more at www.strengthsfinder.com

From the StrengthFinders – in this order, here are my personal strengths:

Focus

Relator (the first time I read this I thought it said “Realtor!”)

Activator

Futuristic

Arranger

Now what do these mean? What do they say about me or my strengths?

Take a look:

Focus–People strong in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.

Relator–People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

Activator–People strong in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.

Futuristic–People strong in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.

Arranger–People strong in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

Yep, that’s me a “FRAFA” to a “t”!

Jennifer Fox’s book, Your Child’s Strengths, has inspired many of us to look at education in a new light. What I love about a book like this – the ones where you are supposed to glean new info about your kids or the students that you teach – is the fact that you can’t help but see yourself again as a child – either struggling in school or relationships or unfortunately both.  If you have kids or teach kids or were ever a kid, you need to read this book.

Anyway,  back to  the new year’s resolutions – I haven’t quite finished my list…but I can assure you re-reading these two books will be high priority. Can I entice you to join me?  I’d love to host a discussion on here – if I only knew how…guess I should add that to my re: solutions list for the year…

So don’t be afraid to make your resolutions solutions list for 2009…

And why? Because I truly believe if you look at the word “resolutions” and turn it into “Re: Solutions” you’ll come away with a whole new outlook on making that list….and play to your strengths – seeking solutions as you go  grow -

and you’ll begin to make each day count to the fullest!

Here’s to living with our strengths defined in 2009! Seeking solutions rather than making resolutions!

And making it count!

Blessings,

~Carla