I'm a big girl now.

"It's okay, Daddy. I know where to go."
"You sure, sweetie?"
"Yes."

And off running toward the school doors little Tina went. I had brought my camera thinking we'd get a little daddy & daughter self-portrait within the school just before I'd give her my hugs and goodbye-for-the-day kisses. No such luck. Just a quick peck on the cheek and a trailing "I love you too, Daddy" yell as she darted away. At least I managed to shoot a pic before she made it inside.

Here's to another growth plateau reached. (sigh)

Overachievement

"I don't mean to sound like a late-night self-help infomercial, but to stay focused you need standards--something to measure your day-to-day progress by. And in this, as in all things, happiness is my yardstick. You can use what you like, by all means, but I highly recommend happiness. If I'm happy in a comprehensive, contented way, then I'm doing things right. If something is bad for my skiing but good for my general happiness, I give more weight to the latter. I recognize that there are things I enjoy--certain people, beer, and fast cars--that are not directly beneficial to my sport. Still, they make me happy. And that's all there is to it."
--Bode Miller (Bode: Go Fast, Be Good, Have Fun)

* * *

Alright, so I'm a hopeless self-help book fan. I've gone through The One-Minute Manager, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, In Pursuit of Excellence, the Tony Robbins series, The Now Habit, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, yadda yadda yadda. And this evening, I just finished Overachievement by John Eliot. And of course, I'm all gung ho and pumped up and I highly recommend this latest installment--yeah, whatever; my fervor being the immediate result of my pep rally reading. As usual, let's see how long it lasts.

Ever since highschool, I've thought often about all the mumbo jumbo on self-improvement, the meaning of life and the search for true happiness and passion. Like who hasn't. Anyway, tonight I feel like there's something new right on the tip of my thingy nose that can propel me a bit of a ways forward in my daily attitude for the better. Makes sense? Like I'm on the verge of a eureka moment that can lift me out of bed daily feeling passionate about life. Well, at least for a week. I feel it right in front of me. Some kind of 'happy' cloud. Right there.

Nah, it's probably just the book. And a little spring fever.

Ohhhh Melinda! ;-)