by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Oct 6, 2018 | Life
During the fall of 2008 I learned what words can mean and how they can make you feel. I was working 50 miles from home that sunny fall day, the trees had amazing color, the wind was gentile however it had that cool breeze , there was a faint smell of burning wood in the air. Thinking to myself that day how amazing life is and how grateful I am to be in this place at this time in my life… Later that morning my phone rang it was my wife…She had gone over my folks house to “check in”. They live just down the street from house so we look after them on a regular basis, mom was helping out at school that day do day was all alone. I heard those words…you better come home something is wrong with your father. Now that’s words you never want to hear…My Dad was having a stroke…I rushed toward home driving like a madman…On my way home my wife called me to tell me my Dad was now at the hospital. When I arrived at the hospital he was is in the emergency room the doctors were trying to figure out what to do to save his life…It was determined my Dad needed to go to Mass General Hospital in Boston Mass via Med-flight.I can remember as they loaded Dad into the Med-flight I asked the doctor what were his chances ??? He turned and looked me dead in the eye and said…Son your Dad has a 50/50 percent chance of survival !!!! More words I didn’t want to hear…Was...
by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Sep 28, 2018 | Leadership
There are many ways to be a great leader, some say you have to have the right mind set, others say leadership is a skill, no matter how we look at leadership you must be a self starter, not one who needs to be told what to do and when to do it. Leadership is learned and then taught. I’ve become a bit taken back by the lack of leadership in the work place today. Not to say there’s a shortage of managers, it’s a new phenomenon today, people telling people what to do, imagine if you only had a few months on a job and your boss told you were starting a new project on Monday….Are you up for it? Imagine you were in that position, would you be able to lead with no experience in the trade? How would your employees look at you if your not able to show them. Truth is that issue has been the new challenge in today’s work place, skilled workers have become scarce especially when it has to do with working with your hands. Today our children have not been taught a skill, instead they have been become more and more dependent on technology, although there’s nothing wrong with technology, we still need good old fashion skills. Some companies do have training in their field however experienced workers are retiring without sharing their knowledge with the younger generation. No matter what your current employment is become an expert, ask question, watch those around you who have been there the longest. You can tap into a resource if you put in the...
by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Sep 21, 2018 | Performance
I’ve been blessed to have been around people who have traveled the world, shared their knowledge, as well as lived a life of purpose. They have earned enough money to take care of their families for generations to come, they have helped people turn their lives around in a positive way while doing what they love each day truly an amazing legacy. Although some are a bit long in the tooth, most have many years to serve. Personally, I’m humbled as to how fast life goes by, time is valuable and must not be wasted. Remember when we were kids we’d look up to our parents who were there to lead us and guide us in the right direction or an uncle, aunt, cousin, friend, teacher, coach or a public figure there are many who left their legacy for us to follow. If you study history there are thousands of people who left their mark on society. Famous sports stars to the first astronaut who landed on the moon, the list goes on and on. While so many have done great things there have also been some who have not done humanity good, however, why not you and I? we have the ability for greatness! In life we sometimes fall into a comfort zone which we follow each day, never challenging ourselves to do more. Do you ever see a hero and imagine that was you? How about the movie rocky? Didn’t you feel the excitement when he was training and getting stronger and stronger? That’s because you have greatness within, just like Rocky, you too can unleash your...
by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Sep 15, 2018 | Personal Growth
Here in New England we have begun to enter the fall season, Labor day has come and gone, we can use this holiday to finish up an amazing summer of outside activities including swimming, boating, hiking, fishing, biking and many more fun things to due during the summer, although these activities are not completely over, however this time of year the weather changes very rapidly, for most of us vacations are over and it’s back to work doing what we do best. On Saturday I met a friend of mine on the road to a favorite lake we sometimes hang out at, he had his boat on the trailer and was putting it away for the winter! Imagine, second day of September and the boat is out for the next 8 months. When I asked why he removed so soon his answer was…Steve, in the past we’d leave the boat in the water for a few weeks after labor day with the intent of utilizing it a few more times, however that never happens and it only gets harder as the weeks go on, days get colder and days are much shorter, so labor day is the day it comes out…Besides we need to winterize it and get ready for the long cold winter. Life is that way also, change of seasons and patterns, it’s constantly pushing us or pulling us. the only constant in life is change. Our ability to recognize these patterns determines our quality of life. We can’t stop or control the change of seasons however we can stop the patterns in our lives. In winter...
by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Sep 7, 2018 | Success
One major influence in our lives is the people we spend the most time with, although not intentional, they play a part in shaping our personality. If we spend time with people who look at life as half empty chances are we’ll look at life the same way, they might not have any money, chances are they spend more than they make, before long we’ll be spending more than we make, or what if they don’t have hobbies…Do you think we will have hobbies? Chances are right now you and I are being influenced by people in our lives. Over time we adopt their habits, if they read books we read book, if they don’t read we don’t read. We must become self reliant. Develop a sense of drive, and independence. If we let those influences into our lives we could become misguided and not find our way to the success we desire. When we were kids our parents would keep an eye on our friends, if they felt they weren’t right for us they told us to stay away. Same is true as adults, we must constantly be aware of the people we let into our lives, ask yourself is this person helping me or hurting me? If their ideals are not the same as yours chances are they could send you in another direction which is a place we don’t want to be. It can be a challenge leaving people behind, however if we continue with the wrong people in our circle of influence the outcome will be in favor of another persons plan. We should carefully...
by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Aug 31, 2018 | Relationships
True happiness is is living a fulfilled life, yet many miss out on relationships which are taken for granted. This can lead to separation causing unimaginable pain. We all desire to be happy and live with the person we chose to spend the rest of out lives with. All to often though relationships end for no apparent reason, although some people do grow apart as they age, it should be noted we can also grow closer as the years go on. Today it seems like there are more and more folks splitting up, could be the loss of a job, an affair, money issues, nevertheless every where you look these days people are struggling to stay together. Some would say the economy is impacting peoples ability to cope with changing times, others would state it costs more to live which puts stress on families. All valid points, however if we get back to the basics of our relationships we’d have a better chance of success. I can remember a time when people stayed together, worked it out, and moved on. No doubt the world has changed, yet it’s the same. If you and I are going to live a fulfilled life we must understand what elements of healthy relationships to focus on each day. Why not stack the odds in our favor instead of the other way around? Key elements of a healthy relationship begin with love, we’ve all been in love, however the first person we must love is ourselves, in order for us to give love we must begin with how we see as well as the...
Recent Comments