Tom

Here are some things to work on in the coming new year.
15 things to remember for 2011:

1. Your Health – Your health is one of the most precious things you have. Take care of yourself. Go to the doctor for a physical. Eat healthy foods (most of the time) and start exercising with your doctor’s approval, of course. You will have more energy. Your body and your mind will thank you for it. Exercise is good for the body and the spirit.

2. Live in the Present – Remember, you can’t do anything about the past, or about the future. Regretting what happened in the past or worrying about the future does you no good at all. Live in the moment…right now. Appreciate all the fantastic things you do have in your life. If you really think about it, you will find you have many.

3. Gratitude – Make a list of all the things for which you are grateful. Don’t forget to include things like the ability to be able to read this email; the start of a brand new day; a beautiful flower; a star-filled sky. Read it often and focus on all the good things you have in your life…not what you think you don’t have.

4. Love – Love comes in many forms. Don’t look for love in all the wrong places. Love can be found everywhere. Start with yourself. Make a list of all the wonderful things about yourself. Look at yourself in the mirror and say “I love you”. And, while you are at it, wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a big hug. You are special. If you don’t believe that, no one else will.

5. Pay it Forward – Make a Difference – Volunteer or help those who need it. Volunteer at an animal shelter, a nursing home, a hospital; mentor a child. Let someone cut in front of you at the grocery store; smile at someone who looks sad. Send a happy e-mail or make a phone call to a friend who may need it. Pay someone a compliment. We are all in this world together. Let’s help each other. Your day will be brighter, too.

6. Make your life the best it can be – Every day you wake up, is a day to make your life the very best it can be. If you are in the middle of a difficult situation, see if there is anything you can do to change it. Sometimes the only thing you can do is to accept it and let it go and have faith that things will get better. If you are in a bad situation, tell yourself that it is difficult – RIGHT NOW. Those words will help you see that the situation you are in will not last forever. Those words will give you hope.

7. Forgiveness – Forgiving someone who has hurt you, will set you free. You forgive, not for the other person, but for you. Forgiveness will set you free and make your life more peaceful.

8. Choose Peace – It’s easy to get upset with everyday irritations. The driver on the road; the line which is way too long in the grocery store; someone who doesn’t say “thank you” when you hold the door open for him/her. (That’s my pet peeve). Take a deep breath and just let it go.

9. Comparisons – Don’t ever compare your life to someone else’s. Don’t waste your time thinking that someone else has something that you wished you had. You don’t really know how someone else lives. Stick to your own business and concentrate on your own life.

10. Tolerance- Accept the fact that others do not think like you, and might not have the same opinion as you. That’s not a bad thing. That’s how we learn from others. Be open-minded and be respectful of others’ opinions; even if you don’t agree with them.

11. Challenge Yourself/Set a Goal – Is there something you always wanted to do (within reason of course) and haven’t found time to do it? Go for it! Make a plan and stick to it. Start taking baby steps toward what you really want in your life. Find a way to get it!

12. Friends – Choose your friends wisely. Surround yourself with people you look up to; people you respect and who respect you; people who inspire you; people who accept you the way you are, not the way they want you to be. The world is full of negative people and complainers who always seem to find fault with everything. Is this how you really want to spend your time?

13. Think positively – I know sometimes this is difficult. Life challenges us all the time. But think about it. Does thinking negatively change the situation or make it worse?

14. Be Brave – Sometimes life deals us a bad hand of cards. It’s how you play them that will make you a winner. Adversity affects all of us. The true test of character is how you handle the difficult situations. It is easy to be happy when things are going our way. Be strong and have faith that things will work out.

15 Believe in yourself – Believe that wonderful things are possible. Believe that something fantastic is waiting for you, right around the corner. You deserve the very best. Believe it and it will happen!

Dave,

What about those not going to college?

It’s true that K-12 have not been taking the science/engineering path.  It’s perceived to be too hard for most.  Since I was an engineering undergrad a few centuries ago, I can understand the frustration.  I mean, who wants to do all that work if they can have it easier and make more money?  Okay, moving into an executive role later may help if you are interested in making money or making more of a contribution in your work.  Some aren’t.

Most parents are just happy to have their kids going to college.  And most of the HS programs are geared to do just that.  And I do not begrudge them that.

I’m a Manufacturing executive at  Focused Solutions Group.  Do you know about http://ratzenberger.com/manufacturing.php or http://www.nutsandboltsfoundation.org?

The HS guidance teachers are so focused on getting kids into college that kids who are not going to college get forgotten about.  Meanwhile there are some fairly decent paying jobs in manufacturing these days, especially for operating some of the computerized equipment we use these days.

So back to my original question: What about those not going to college?  We need every Guidance counselor to realize whether or not they make their goal of 95% going to college, they need to guide 100% of the students to be the best they can be (no disrespect to most GCs).  And if we want to keep Manufacturing in the US (and I think we need to, but that’s a much longer discussion), we need to help those kids get properly trained to handle today’s manufacturing jobs.

I am also active in Manufacturing networks in New Jersey and I can tell you that my fellow small business owners lament the lack of quality help and vocational education every day.  Many state and county governments are not doing it well.  Pennsylvania does have a nice program, though.

I would like to see every child go to college.  And most into the sciences.  But that’s not practical.  So I’m talking about a path for those who don’t.  Perhaps we need some breadcrumbs to make that path more clear.

Regards,

Tom Smith
tom@fsgnj.com
www.fsgnj.com