Getting "Lucky": Auburn and Ohio State

Last Saturday in College Football, the #3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the #4 ranked Auburn Tigers got lucky.  At least that is what some fans and pundits will tell you. 

The Buckeyes narrowly escaped defeat when Michigan’stwo-point conversion pass was intercepted in the final seconds of the game.  Even more telling, the fall of Alabama increased the possibility that an Urban Meyer team would luck their way into another BCS National Championship game for the second time in a decade (their 2006 invite came as a result of UCLA's upset of then undefeated USC).

And the Tigers, well, let’s just say that it isn’t common for the Crimson Tide (the two-time defending National Champions) to miss four field goals and allow a 107 yard touchdown run with one second remaining on the clock.  And then there was the instant replay that put one crucial second back on the clock.  Uncanny!

While it is true that Ohio State and Auburn both enjoyed some luck on Saturday, what wasn’tluck were the accomplishments both teams had earned leading up up to their fortunate victories.  Hard work, sacrifice, consistent play over time, and winning a lot of games the old fashioned way were preludes to their lucky breaks Saturday night.  To illustrate, consider the following facts...

Last season, Auburn was abysmal, finishing with a losing record of 3-9.  Their coach, Gene Chizik, was fired despite leading his team to a National Championship only two years previously.  This year, working with a brand new coach – Gus Malzahn –  the Tigers rebounded astoundingly to win all but one game. This all led up to Saturday – the legendary Iron Bowlagainst Alabama, who entered the game 11-0 and ranked #1 in the country.   

Ohio State finished the 2011 season with a disappointing 6-7 record after their coach – Jim Tressel – resigned in infamy due to an off-the-field scandal.  The following season, the Buckeyes were banned from playing in a bowl game.  Despite this drama, their new coach – Urban Meyer – and his staff and team went to work.  Instead of complaining about the troubled situation he inherited, Meyer quietly and confidently led his team to an undefeated 12-0 record, and a #3 season ending ranking.  This year, the Buckeyes have played their way to a second consecutive 12-0 record.  Ohio State has now won 24 games in a row – a school record – and the longest current winning streak (by far) in college football.    

Because these two teams paid the price over time to be successful, they were poised to take advantage of the fortunate (aka lucky) situations that came their way on Saturday.    

So it is with you, me, and all other individuals and organizations.  Luck on the scale that Ohio State and Auburn enjoyed on Saturday night does not occur capriciously; it is earned bit-by-bit over time the old fashioned way.  Everyone gets “lucky” sometimes, and everyone gets “unlucky” on occasion, but authentic successes that appear lucky are usually just capped by luck in the same way that a thin layer of icing covers a cake, or a little spoonful of whipped cream and cherry tops a deep milkshake.  

Yes, Auburn and Ohio State got lucky Saturday night, but the reality is that both teams proved over time that they were worthy of, and prepared for, luck when it came their way.  Will you be worthy of your luck when it strikes?

The next time you find yourself calling some person – or organization – lucky, look deeper at the journey that led to their so-called luck.  You will find that their success usually extends much deeper than the moment they "got lucky." 

Luck Quotables

“Shallow men believe in luck or in circumstance.  Strong men believe in cause and effect.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I’m a great believer in luck.  I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” 
– Thomas Jefferson 

“People always call it luck when you have acted more sensibly than they have.”
– Anne Tyler

Reflecting on Two REALLY BIG Anniversaries ~ Kennedy & Lincoln

America celebrated two HUGE anniversaries in U.S. History this week.  The first occurred on Tuesday, November 19^th with the 150^th Anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s delivery of the Gettysburg Address.  The second occurs on Friday, November 22nd, with the 50^th Anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 

There are a few, select dates in American History that virtually anyone alive at the time remembers.  Think April 14, 1865 and December 7, 1941, or November 22, 1963 and September 11, 2001. 

Where were you when President Kennedy was assassinated?  If you were alive and over the age of five in 1963, chances are you not only remember the day, but can recall where you were and what you were doing as well.  

While attending grade school in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I remember hearing teachers talk about their personal memories of that fateful day.  I recall my fascination that they were alive on such an important – albeit tragic – date in American History.  I recently e-mailed some family members querying their memories from the day Kennedy was shot, and each one that responded had memories to share. 

My generation's “Kennedy” moment came on 9-11.  Like those with memories of '63, I remember with crystal clarity where I was, and what I was doing that terrible day in '01.  

A 22-year old college freshman at Utah Valley University, I was on my way to attend an early morning worship service at the Provo, Utah LDS Temple. I recall a radio announcer somewhat flippantly announcing how a plane had apparently struck one of the towers of the World Trade Center.  Word had not yet spread accurately, and his assumption was that some crazy – perhaps drunk – pilot had gone and crashed a little plane into the mammoth building with little collateral damage.  Based on the tone, attitude, and misinformation of this uninformed radio announcer, I thought little of the news as I arrived at the Temple, parked my car, and turned off the radio.  

Two hours later, when I returned to my car and turned the radio back on, it was a very different story.  Nearly every channel was spreading the unthinkable news.  HELL had broken loose in Lower Manhattan and the World was watching as its pillars of power crumbled into a fiery plume of destruction.  When I returned to my apartment, I glued myself to the television screen.  Tears came to my eyes as I beheld the horror replayed over and over.  It was surreal – unearthly – like nothing I had ever experienced before.

That night, my roommate began running all around the neighborhood like Paul Revere warning of gas prices shooting to $5 a gallon, which, in 2001, would have been truly calamitous news.  His warnings turned out to be unnecessary, but I’ll never forget the sober pall that was cast over the nation in the days to come – the candlelight services, the prayers, and Enrique Iglesias’ song Hero playing repeatedly on the radio. 

While it is tragic that such events such as 11-22 and 9-11 occur in the first place, it always amazes me the profound effects  – some of them positive –  it has on those who experience them.  Indeed, the development of vital human qualities such as humility, reverence, sobriety, gratitude, and reflectiveness would be much more difficult without disappointments, failures, grief, and yes, even tragedy.  Such moments induce deep reflection, and invite us to ponder the meaning of life, and our individual purpose here on Earth.  They create an opportunity to consider things we normally wouldn’t amidst the hustle and bustle of our busy schedules, endless task lists, and the relatively meaningless minutia of life. 

Fortunately, such tragic moments don’t happen every day.  I would never wish such terrible events on any person or nation.  Yet I believe there is great value that can be found in both dealing with and reflecting back on such dates in our history – what they meant for the people who experienced the events, and what they mean to us now.

Taking time out to remember and memorialize the tragic events of yesteryear remind us how fragile human life is, and fill us with gratitude for its remarkable gift for which we are all partakers.  May this day of reflection and memorial be a day of personal reflection that will make you a better person made more grateful and compassionate by the time and effort you invest in reflection. 

To help in this reflection, I encourage perusal (click on link) of the following websites and/or other materials. 

The Gettysburg Address

Ken Burns’ Famous Person's Mash-up of the Gettysburg Address

The Battle of Gettysburg

Abraham Lincoln    John F. Kennedy

Bill O’Reilly’s Killing Kennedy

Bill O’Reilly’s Killing Lincoln

Bill O'Reilly's Lincoln/Kennedy Box Set

Ken Burns’ The Civil War

Ken Burns’ The War

- Romance Nails -

Je suis d'humeur romantique ces derniers jours et j'ai eu envie d'un nail art tout doux, tout kawaii et avec plusieurs techniques différentes.
Un peu de pois, de lignes, de stamping, d'holographique, de paillettes et de 3D. Oui rien que ça !! J'ai juste tarder à prendre les photos en fait.


J'ai tout mis sur une base rose "Boom Boom Room" de Essie recouvert du fameux top coat holographique "Djinn in the Bottle"  de Enchanted Polish. Et du coup c'est la première fois que je vous le montre sur moi ce petit holo, j'en ai mis qu'une couche. 

Stop les blablas, passons aux photos ;D

Et un zoom pour mieux apercevoir Djinn

J'espère que vous aimez autant que moi !!!

From Orphan to Executive: Self-Action Leadership in Real Life

Today I share the real life Self-Action Leadership story of Dr. Nathaniel J. Williams. 
Little Nat Williams started out life as an orphan in the Bronx with all the strikes against him.  The 11th of 12 children, Nat never knew his father, and attended his mother's funeral at age five.  He still remembers the five taxis all lined up to haul him and his nine brothers and sisters under the age of 18 to different foster homes throughout New York City.  

It was in a foster home a few years later that Nat had an experience that would forever change his life.  The value of the experience was discovered not in what happened, but in how Nat chose to interpret the experience and allow it to influence his behavior.  Here is what happened...
One day while eagerly waiting for his brothers and sisters to come visit, the van they were riding in broke down; they would not be coming after all.  

Saddened by this disappointment, Nat sat alone on the front septs of the foster home's administrative office brooding in his sorrow.  Just then, the director of the foster home -- Sister Mary Patrick -- appeared like a rescuing angel with a bicycle for Nat.  

Thrilled and grateful, Nat rode off to show his "cottage mates" the new treasure.  Then, while watching one of them ride the new bike around, Nat had a life changing prompting.  He realized that if he wasn't careful, then "telling a sad story and waiting for a handout" would dominate the narrative of the rest of his life.  

That wasn't the life story Nat wanted told, and from that moment, he began setting his sights high.  He even began signing his name: Nathaniel J. Williams, Executive Director, a practice that spawned derision from many of his peers.

"People were always making fun of me, saying: 'why the hell are you saying you're an executive director, and why are you signing your name that way?'  But it gave me a pathway.  I often say to people, if it's not written, it's not going to happen, so by me just writing down what I wanted to do, it made it very clear, so when drugs, alcohol, or other things came my way, I was able to plan my work and then work my plan, and was able to say yes or no to things based on what I wanted to do with my life."

Along the way, Nat developed a diligent work ethic that empowered his success.  At age 28, he founded a company that is now a conglomerate of nine different organizations focused on human care services that help others in need.  Today, this organization has an operating budget of over 12 million dollars and employs over 200 people, and guess who the Executive Director is?  That's right, Nat Williams, who, along the way, also managed to squeeze into his schedule time to earn four -- that's right -- FOUR advanced degrees, including a Master of Health Sciences (MHS), a Masters of Public Administration (MPA), a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), and a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.).  

Even more significant than his professional success is his personal success, which includes being a loving husband, and father to eight children.  Dr. Williams' life has demonstrated the Self-Action Leadership power that comes from focusing your time and effort on what you can control -- your own thoughts, speech, and actions, rather than on external difficulties that arise beyond your control.      

Dr. Nat Williams quotables:

"I think that a person has to recognize that you've gotta work with you you got, and you've gotta believe that what you got ain't bad."

o

"You've got to recognize and accept what you've been given [and what you haven't been given] and then figure out a way to work with it, and work with others."

o

"Everything isn't a burden; everything isn't a challenge; it can be seen as a blessing, and it can be seen as a conduit for major change.  It's just based on the viewpoint that you have and how you look at the situation."

o

"You need other people to help you stay on the straight and narrow and you've got to be transparent."

o

To read more about Dr. Williams amazing story, click HERE to buy Dr. Jordan Jensen's book on Self-Action Leadership.

To subscribe to Dr. Jordan Jensen's FREE weekly blog posts, enter your e-mail address a the top right of this screen where it says "Follow by E-mail," and then click "submit."    

To learn more about how Freedom Focused can help you and your organization benefit from the principles of Self-Action Leadership, click HERE.

- Black Friday & Cyber Monday -

Les filles qui adooooorent acheter sur internet le savent: une fois par an ont lieu le Black Friday et le Cyber Monday.

Black Friday ? Qu'est-ce que c'est ? 
Le lendemain de Thanksgiving, les américains ont des soldes de dingues dans leurs magasins, donc shopping en folie pendant une journée. C'est un peu l'occasion de se ruer pour acheter des cadeaux de Noël à bons prix !!!

Pourquoi je vous en parle ?
Parce que Sigma offrira les frais de livraisons à l'international ((en First Class International)). Non pas pour 1, mais pour 2 jours !!! Ce qui est plutôt pas mal étant donné que les frais de port sont, pour certaines, un peu cher.
Du coup pas besoin de trop se retenir en vu des frais de livraison ;D

Il vous suffira de vous rendre sur le site de Sigma à partir du 28 Novembre à 9h (heure de Paris) et ce jusqu’au vendredi 30 Novembre à 8h59, de préparer votre panier et de rentrer le code promos BF2013.

Et le Cyber Monday qu'est-ce que c'est ??
C'est le lundi qui suit le Black Friday, mais là pour les sites internet. Puisque le black Friday est consacré plutôt pour les magasins physiques, les magasins en ligne ont fait leurs journée à eux. 

Pourquoi je vous en parle ? 
Parce qu'à cette occasion, Sigma vous propose un jour de solde sur leurs site ou il y aura une sélection de produits à -20%  du 2 Décembre à 9h au 3 Décembre à 8h59 (heure de Paris).
Vous trouverez la liste des produits qui seront soldés juste ici si vous voulez déjà vous faire une idée.
Attention ils ne le sont pas encore ! Mais je vais vous mettre la liste des prix plus bas pour celles qui auront la flemme de calculer lol



Et pour profiter de ces soldes de -20% rdv sur le site de Sigma  où il vous faudra mettre le code CM2013 lors de la validation de votre panier.

Liste des produits (le prix soldé est indiqué en rose):

Pinceaux

• E11: $12 ($9.60)
• E16: $12 ($9.60)
• E17: $12 ($9.60)
• E21: $12 ($9.60)
• E36: $12 ($9.60)
• E46: $12 ($9.60)
• E47: $12 ($9.60)
• E56: $12 ($9.60)
• P80: $18 ($14.40)
• P82: $18 ($14.40)
• P84: $18 ($14.40)
• P86: $18 ($14.40)
• P88: $18 ($14.40)
• Basic Eyes Kit: $69 ($55.20)
• Make Me Crazy (with colored ferrule): $155 ($124)
• Make Me Cool (with colored ferrule): $155 ($124)
• Make Me Blush (with colored ferrule): $155 ($124)
• Mrs. Bunny Essential (with colored ferrule): $155 ($124)
• Mrs. Bunny Travel (with colored ferrule): $155 ($124)

Brush Care

• Spa Glove – Aqua/Pink/Purple/Black: $35 ($28.00)
• Dry’N Shape: $32 ($25.60)
• Classic Brush Roll: $17.60 ($14.08)

Makeup

• Dare Eye Shadow Palette: $29 ($23.50)
• Flare Eye Shadow Palette: $29 ($23.50)
• Paris Makeup Palette: $49 ($39.20)
• Individual Eye Shadows (all): $11 ($8.80)
•  Eye Shadow Bases Kits: $36 ($28.80)

Accessoires

• Brow Tweezer: $11 ($8.80)
• Mirrors (all): $15 or $16.20 ($12.00 or $12.96)

Je vous conseil, suivant ce que vous comptez acheter, de comparer les deux offres pour faire la meilleure affaire ;) 

Bon craquaaaaaaage !!!!!!!!!!! 

 

Self-Action Leadership in Real Life: Success from Chicago's South Side

What does Self-Action Leadership look like in real life?

Meet Felicia Cockrell. Her success story highlights the impact of Self-Action Leadership application in communities where structural inequalities and other difficulties play a prominent role.

Felicia was born in Chicago's infamous "South Side," where drugs, gangs, and murder have been, and continue to be, dangerously prevalent. It is a challenging place to grow up.


Despite these challenges, Felicia utilized Self-Leadership in creatively powerful ways to rise above the obstacles of her surroundings to become very successful -- so successful, in fact, that she landed a job making six figures working for a Fortune 100 Company. She is presently a Project Manager for Google.

Keys to Felicia's Self-Leadership Success included stellar academic performances, involvement in athletics, and working to effectively manage the negative peer pressure that is so prevalent among teenagers.

In her own words:

"I didn't get made fun of a lot because maybe they could tell I wasn't ashamed. I wasn’t really involved with other people who were concerned with making sure I looked cute for the boys. I didn’t really hang out with people like that, which helped me avoid the peer pressure that so strongly pushed other people in my community to focus so much on clothing and image above education and inner security."

By looking inward into her own mind, heart, and soul for direction, Felicia was able to learn how to brush off the immature opinions of would-be nay sayers around her.

"One of the things I’ve seen hurt many people in the inner city is the pressure to not be successful. You would be surprised at how many parents will jab at their kids and say things like: 'You’re never going to ever be anything, so why do you even try?' Tragically, that kind of stuff is said in a lot of households; there is just a lot of negative reinforcement to not achieve goals. The aim is to maintain the status quo, which isn’t anything to brag about. My advice to everyone who faces that kind of pressure and negative reinforcement is to not let anyone bring you down. And believe me, they will try. Some people will even make it their goal in life to bring you down; don’t let them do it!"

Because of her excellent grades, Felicia ended up being accepted into prestigious public (magnet) schools where she continued to work hard and exercise diligent self-discipline and leadership. The result? She was accepted into a top ten engineering school (Purdue) where she eventually earned a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering. She also became an officer in the U.S. Navy where she served for another four years in locations around the Globe. After retiring from the Army, she accepted a job with a major Fortune 100 Company, where she commands a handsome salary as a successful project management professional.

Read Felicia's complete story in my book: Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Everything.

Points to Ponder...

What are some areas in your life where you are allowing Self-Leadership Gravity (peer pressure, what other people think of you, etc.) to prevent you from achieving your goals?

Specifically, what can you do to rise above the negativity that seeks to pull you down and stifle your success? What can you learn from Felicia's story to become more inwardly driven along your pathways to progress?

After pondering these questions, determine an action you can take, write down your goal, and then go to work.

- I'm a little Mermaid -

Coucou !!!
J'ai pas fait d'article depuis un petit moment et je me suis rendue compte que je ne vous avais pas montré ici mon makeup d'Halloween.

Je me suis transformée en sirène......Prête à séduire les marins pour les emmener sous l'océan et les dévorer par la suite mouahahahahahah

J'ai utilisé principalement des fards de ma palette fraulein et quelques fard de la palette crème de couture Sigma.

En bonus. Plume qui s'est invité pendant que je faisais mes photos ^^

Pour celles qui avaient pas vu ces photos, j'espère que ça vous plait =)