From the Journal of the S.O.B.:

I am attending the 39th convention of the National Speakers Association. As you can imagine, there are over 1000 people here who are mostly professional plus those just starting out. We also have 100 youth attending the program including my great-grandson and my granddaughter.

I took her when she was 10 (the starting age) and now he is 10 and beginning as well. She is here as a mentor to the youth group so it’s turned into a family event. And we are all in the same hotel room!

It is magical to be going through this deja vu, and it hardly seems like 20 years has gone by. Technology is different, there are more speakers, requests are different, but the bottom line is—you still have to be good–and really great.

I  represent the past (although I am still active and speaking), my granddaughter represents the present and my great-grandson is the future. Even if they don’t become professional speakers, the training that goes on is phenomenal. I’m not sure if you have as much pride in your profession as I do (I sure hope so)  but it’s pretty terrific.

From the Journal of the S.O.B.

We certainly know there is nothing so constant as change. Yet it is the one thing that drives us nuts! The older we get, the harder it is to make changes and that’s what keeps us in our little boxes.

As S.O.B.’s who are usually looking for new experiences, you want these changes to be powerful and great. I personally, am looking forward to my Greece trip which my son is gifting me belatedly for my birthday. Yes, I am going alone and yes, I think it’s going to be terrific. So I’m asking you, what have you tried that you’ve never done before and will you please let our tribe know what it is so I can highlight you!

I am so encouraged as I continue my travels speaking, learning and doing, to see what fantastic adventures some of my peers are having. I was with some women this weekend who teach people how to make wreaths, others who are veterans and providing amazing services for other vets, and even someone  (yes, a guy) who has an association for people who love and want to preserve octopus.

There is something for everyone if you look for it!

From the Journal of the S.O.B.:

I had quite a day today watching the coverage on the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary and the Wimbledon championship. Although very different events, they each brought out the best in the people involved.

All the unsung heroes of the Apollo mission were incredible. Watching the impact of the women who sewed the space suits was mesmerizing and to see how many new thought processes had to go into making the mission a reality was stunning. Then to go on and see the fortitude and strength of Federer and Djokovic was mind blowing. Non-stop for hours, each played a thrilling game.

And so that’s why I’m asking, what makes a champion? In my humble opinion, I think most people are champions in their every day life when they make the decisions they do to raise families, lead people, invent something new and just be the positive, helping, caring individuals they are.

So, I ask you, what do you do on a daily basis to be a champion in someone’s eyes? And yes, yours as well!

From the Journal of the S.O.B.

Persistence is one of my favorite words. It really expresses who I am. It has been both a curse and a blessing. It keeps me pursuing things I want to do and sometimes keeps me there too long, however it’s usually a positive in my life.

Everyone experiences challenges and you will too. You need things that will spur you on and make you sit up and take notice. What can you put in your life on a daily basis to make you feel terrific? And if a circumstance occurs that you don’t want, figure out how to change it. You can even try to find out and recognize why the incident happened and how you can make sure it doesn’t happen again.

But persistence is the impetus that will carry you through. Who does this better than children? They ask, and ask, and ask until they wear you out. Somehow we forget that as we age. As long as you are heading toward the bright light and value the outcome that happens, go for it.

It’s better to find out what doesn’t work, than never to have tried at all.

The long weekend will be upon us shortly and once again I must take the opportunity of championing what the 4th really means.  Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States on July 4, 1776. So I want to take this opportunity to ask you if you if you ever created a Declaration of Independence for yourself.

I so believe that we need to be independent of everyone. We can love many people and like many as well, but we have to think our own thoughts and make our own decisions, hopefully with all our loved ones in mind. We share, do for, and take care of others, sometimes at our own expense, but when done with love, it is all worth it.

I am so grateful that after the 11 years since my husband passed,  I am living a full life. Because I was so independent, I was able to carry on through the grieving process and keep things together. There will never be anyone like him, and our son is carrying on his giving ways, but my life is full and active with so much potential yet to come.

Enjoy the holiday and celebrate as only you can. I watch 9 different fireworks from my balcony and run in to watch the celebrations on TV as well. It’s a marvelous experience and I love this country and what we stand for.

From the journal of the S.O.B.:

As we head into the last week of June, we also embrace the first day of summer. And it sure has come in with a bang. Snow in the mountains, floods in the plains, fire in the west, and heat in the South. So how are you planning on spending the next couple of months?

With kids on different school schedules, telecommuting part of our lives, and travel itineraries disrupted because of world events, most of us need to be ready to change at a moment’s notice. Some of you have kids still living at home (even the adult ones), others have grand kids you want to come for part of the summer. Yet others just want to relax.

Whatever your choice, it’s important to relax, read a great book and investigate a new “something.” I was looking out my window to the beautiful bay by my building and watching all the boats going by, some of them docking at a restaurant my family and I frequented when we went out on our boat.

I got to thinking. Water, boating, swimming, water skiing was such a part of my life for so many years and I haven’t done it at all since my husband passed away and I had radiation and chemo. I have substituted by going to concerts, plays, lunches with friends, and learning new things on the computer. It’s a whole new life and one I have adapted to pretty well.

I want to encourage you all not to pine for the past, but to get excited about the future. I am looking forward to my belated birthday trip to Greece (courtesy of my son), my new life (eventually) in California and a new business I’m starting with another octogenarian (to be announced shortly).  What’s on your agenda?

From the Journal of the S.O.B.:

I hope all of you who are Dads had a happy day yesterday and those of you who celebrated Father’s Day with your Dad or hubby made it great as well. I have to say that I had the greatest Dad ever. He worked a lot (had his own pharmacy and was considered the “town doctor”) and even was President of the NY State Pharmaceutical Association. And I am sure I modeled my husband after him as he was a fabulous dad as well.

I always said I wanted to marry someone like my dad and I did. My husband was a bit more adventurous but when it came to his family, he was the best. Father’s Day was started and celebrated by a woman, and as a matter of fact, many women who kept promoting it until it became a designated day in 1966.

Although my husband was one of just a very few who got custody of his children way back in 1960, more and more dads are stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility for bringing them up. Bravo to them. My husband showed me how to diaper, feed and bathe our son (he was the first baby I ever held), and took responsibility for many of the household chores. And that’s why we lasted 45 years.

Happy Daddy’s day to all you guys out there.  We love and appreciate you.

From the Journal of the S.O.B.

Energy is so important as it lets us keep going and learning. I know that I have instinctive energy and that my workout routine helps with that. In addition, I think positively and have my wonderful pets to keep me happy. What are some of the things you can do right now to bring immediate energy and improvement to your life?

I’m sure you know people just as I do who have energy and are young at 80 and those who drag around who are 40. If you try to find good in everything and find reasons why something will work, you will realize how much control you have over the things you once thought were beyond your reach.

I am still asking you to vote for me at silversneakers.swansonaward.com but I have to tell you there is a 96 year old who is beating me like crazy. And I think that’s great. I hope I’m in there still competing at 96 and I wish the same for all of you!

Always have a Plan A and B, and although I know you should always go with Plan A, knowing there is something waiting in the wings is a big help. The good is out there waiting for you.

From the Journal of the S.O.B.

Yes, I spent this past weekend at my 60th reunion. There weren’t a lot of us there. As a matter of fact, I was the only one who spent the entire weekend. Two other people came to one separate event.  Mainly, many were too ill or tired, had other engagements or generally didn’t care.

I graduated from Emerson College with a degree in Theater and Broadcasting. It gave me so much confidence and pride that I never looked back. I was also so naive that I thought I knew it all, but in my first two weeks of business I was handed a Cease and Desist order. I didn’t even know what that was and had to hire an attorney and change how I operated.

I got through that and many other scrapes, and Emerson gave me the courage to do it all. That’s why I’ll never forget my time there. And although many things have changed and it is far more sophisticated now, it only cost me $800 for a full year and I had the best teachers you can ever imagine.

While I was there, they gave an Life Achievement award  to Kevin Bright, who was one of the producers of “Friends” and there is a bronze statue of Norman Lear in the passageway, as he attended Emerson too along with Jay Leno, Henry Winkler both of whom I have met.

Anyway, it was a grand old time, and I loved hearing about all the successes my fellow schoolmates have had and I hope to be back for my 65th.

From the Journal of the S.O.B.:

This is such an important day. We honor all the men and women who served and died in the U.S. Military. Too often we forget why we have the day off from work, or why businesses are closed and even why the schools are closed. We are very fortunate that we live in such a great country where there are people who volunteer to protect our freedom.

Therefore it is also important to live our lives in the best possible way. To honor our fellow human beings, to treat people with respect and love, and to appreciate ourselves for all that we do and accomplish is all a part of that. I want to encourage all of you to live your life to the fullest and contribute to the people and circumstances around you so that everyone benefits from your presence.

Don’t you sometimes get to the end of the day and wonder where it went and where you went as well? It would be great if every day was lived on purpose and with purpose. Wouldn’t it be fabulous if every night you could write in your journal one fantastic thing you did or someone did to or for you? Let that be your goal from now on and see the difference you and it makes!