Richard Dedor: Finding Focus » Focus Your Life

FOCUS: Tell the Truth! (v3n12)

Richard — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:27:31 +0000

Selected Life Lesson
Do not lie and always tell the truth no matter how hard it may be.
-Kate N’s life lesson from Olathe, Kansas

Richard’s Thoughts…
There is an old saying from Mark Twain: A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. We know that to be true. Lies can be easy to tell. They can save your behind. But they can also erode your life and your career.

And it’s not just about lying. It’s about being honest. If you make a mistake, own up to it. You’re earn the respect of your friends and co-workers just by simply owning up to it. In my work, I have a weakness. If I am given a task and I don’t write it down, odds are, I will forget it. It’s happened before where someone asked me to do something and because I didn’t write it down, it didn’t get done. In those situations, I accept the blame and fix the problem.

It is hard admitting wrongdoing, but it adds respect and honor to your name. It happens all the time: birthdays, anniversaries, meetings, reports … just be honest and everything will be okay.

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FOCUS: Up & Down Adventures! (v3n11)

Richard — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:12:29 +0000

Selected Life Lesson
Life is a like a roller coaster – when things are going downhill, if you hang on long enough, eventually you’ll go back up again.
-Betty K’s lesson from Mason City, Iowa

Richard’s Thoughts…
I remember growing up that I never ever EVER would go on roller coasters. It wasn’t until high school when I was with my church youth group that I succumbed to peer-pressure and finally got in line to go on “Wild Thing” up at Valley Fair in Minnesota. And what a ride! On that one trip, I became hooked on the ups and downs, twists and turns, and the pure adventure of the roller coaster.

But life, just like the coaster, goes up and then goes down and then it goes back up again. But here is the great thing – on a roller coaster you know where you are going; no matter if you’re up or down, you know the end. In life, when you’re up you have a lot of choices. If you’re down, you also have choices.

In those down moments, you have the option of staying on the same course, taking a break, or completely changing your course to see your other options. Never close your eyes, keep them fixed on the horizon and you’ll be back up again in no time.

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FOCUS: Embrace Challenges (v3n10)

Richard — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:09:51 +0000

Selected Life Lesson
Challenge yourself to do something you never, ever thought you could do.
-Cindy B’s life lesson from Springfield, Mo.

Richard’s Thoughts…
Today I am off on a big adventure! I’m in the Big Apple meeting with public relations folks as well as book publishers and agents! I never thought I would even start this journey but here I am; on my way!

What about yourself? What have you been too scared to do or too reserved to try?

Now is as good a time as any! Check out this video from a recent retreat I did… Adults, flying kites! Amazing things can happen when you take life by the horns and embrace the challenges and opportunities in front of you. Good luck … Anything is Possible!

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FOCUS: Experiences! (v3n9)

Richard — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:35:37 +0000

Selected Life Lesson
We are souls having a physical experience, not physical bodies with a soul.
-Lisa A’s life lesson from Smithton, Illinois

Richard’s Thoughts…
I spoke a few weeks ago at the Kansas Adult Education Association – Winds of Change conference – and one of the things I spoke about was the need to experience life. Think about it …

When was the last time you smelled the flowers on your walk into work? When was the last time you touched the bark of a tree? When was the last time you truly and honestly saw the moon and the stars? What about hearing some breathtaking music or tasting your favorite dish?

Our lives are all about experiences. So I have to ask: Is life living you or are you living your life? Get to it … amazing stuff awaits you!

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FOCUS: Your Family! (v3n8)

Richard — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:30:24 +0000

Selected Life Lesson
Life is short. Value your family. Laugh more. Make time for things you enjoy. Not work only!
-Nicole E’s Life Lesson from Marshalltown, Iowa

Richard’s Thoughts…
In America, this weekend we celebrate our Independence Day! Some of your are probably on vacation right now and some of you will be off on Friday or Monday. Whatever time you get off over the next few days, enjoy it. Do it for a few reasons.

First, you’ve earned it. Relax and spend time with those you love. Even if you’re far away from family, find a way to enjoy the company of friends and those you care about. Second, you deserve it. You deserve to spend time on the things you are passionate about. We work hard. You need to play hard too.

Live. Laugh. Love. A simple life lesson for a happy and a healthy life. Have a wonderful weekend!

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FOCUS: Say Yes! (v3n7)

Richard — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:42:47 +0000

Selected Life Lesson
If I say “no” to the things I’m not passionate about, I will have more time and energy
for the things I am passionate about.
-Sandy L’s life lesson from Kansas City, Mo.

Richard’s Thoughts…
I admit it – I am passionate about passions – yours included! The world is a better place when we are all enjoying and engaging ourselves in things we are passionate about. If you’ve heard me speak, you know I have many: speaking, writing, tennis, running and painting, just to name a few.

I have recently been doing research into the stress we allow into our lives and it is staggering how often
we say yes to everything and no to the little things that could make all the difference.

Anytime you’re about to say “yes” to a favor, a request, or any new requirement on your time or energy, be sure to ask yourself these questions: Do I really have to do this? Do I really have the time? But most importantly, if I say yes to this, what do I say no to? Say YES to you today!

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FOCUS: Health is Happiness (v3n6)

Richard — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:32:53 +0000

Selected Life Lesson
Always make time to workout. Even when things are busy, don’t skip. You have to take care of your body and mind to be able to handle the stress of life.
-Lisa’s life lesson from Thousand Oaks, California

Richard’s Thoughts…
If you’ve been a member of our community here, you know that I completely agree with Lisa. I love to workout, run and play tennis.

Living in this world can be a very stressful endeavor. Don’t get me wrong, I love it and the I get to live! But in order to manage everything that goes on in one single day, I have found that I also need to take conscious notice of my health. I have actually started to eat healthier and being more judicious in working out. I have seen the benefits that working out brings.

I have a healthier mind and certainly a healthier body. Those two things allow me to be more productive, more creative and ultimately, have more energy for my passions. Try it for yourself. Start with just once a week. Go for a walk and see some change. If you’re already working out, spend some time trying to get a friend or co-worker to join you. It will be good for both of you! A healthy body brings with it a healthy mind.

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FOCUS: Give Love! (v2n30)

FOCUS: Positive Energy (v3n5)

Richard — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:48:33 +0000

Selected Life Lesson
Misery loves company, but positive people are the life of the party.
-Rebecca M’s life lesson from Carroll, Iowa

Richard’s Thoughts…
Last Friday was a milestone for me. On Friday afternoon I gave my FOCUS session at the NAFSA (an International Education Association) Conference here in Kansas City. It was my first conference of its size – and talk about amazing! I had a great time and I think the audience left with a greater respect for their lives.

Then later that night, a co-worker got married! Talk about a busy eight hours, but I guess you could say, even though it wasn’t my wedding, I was the life of the party. I had just completed a great presentation, and spent the night with friends and great food! I wasn’t the actually “life of the party”, but for those who know me, I try to be positive everyday. It takes work, but life is beautiful and there is too much in this world to smile at to be miserable all the time.

Positive people are the ones who change families, companies and the world. Believe in potential this week. Believe in you. Believe in happiness. The world is sending you positive thoughts today … will you accept them?

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FOCUS: Say Yes! (v3n4)

Richard — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:30:42 +0000

Selected Life Lesson
Don’t feel bad about saying “no.” You can’t do it all and stay sane.
-Carol S’ life lesson from St. Joseph, Missouri

Richard’s Thoughts…
Ahhh, the terror of turning someone down. We all know it. And I bet a lot of us know we should say it more often. I go through ups and downs of being really good about saying yes to some things and no to others. Then I get into a stretch where I am always saying yes.

But when we say yes to everything, we are placing everything on the same value level. We aren’t making choices, so everything basically has the same value, the same importance to us. Remember the good ‘ol days when we didn’t have cell phones or our e-mail available in our hands? We were able to say no all the time. We smelled the air. We smiled at the sun.

Now that summer is finally here, be willing to say no. When you say no, you will give yourself time for you! Time to go outside and run, walk the dog, read a new book, play with your kids or take in an outdoor play. Choose to say “yes” to you!

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FOCUS: Fail! (v3n3)

Richard — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:25:25 +0000

Selected Life Lesson
With children who are almost adults – learn when to give advice and when to step back and let them live their own lives – even if it means they’ll make painful mistakes.
-Susan M’s life lesson from Kansas City, Missouri

Richard’s Thoughts…
This week’s lesson comes from Susan, a woman from a group I spoke with last month here in Kansas City. She actually won a free copy of my book. After last week’s lesson, she sent me an email with this lesson – and I thought – especially with graduation, it was the perfect lesson.

I know it’s cliche, but if you lead a man to water and teach him to fish, you feed him for life. It’s the same with children and young adults. Shoot – it’s the same for adults! We have to be allowed to make mistakes and fall on our face! We learn from our failures. We get better.

This week I have two take-aways. First, let the people around you experience life. Don’t protect your friends or colleagues. And for you, go out into the world and be willing to fail – to make mistakes. Trust me, failure is awesome! Amazing things can happen!

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