Friday, November 30, 2007

Obesity Rules The World

“Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average. Which means you've met your New Year's resolution.”
Jay Leno
US comedian & television host (1950 - )

The above comment by Jay Leno may be funny, but it’s not funny when you walk around the streets and see so many overweight adults and kids.
Why do really obese people go to the “all-you-can-eat” restaurants? Logic should tell them that it’s only going to add to the problem. The problem is that they’re passing their bad habits on to their children and their children’s children, so it becomes a merry-go-round. I’ve seen it in my own family with the children emulating what the parents eat and drink and consequently they’re all dangerously overweight. And they don’t care!
The cost to society in the future is going to be enormous as more and more adults and children will be afflicted by Diabetes and Heart Disease. And guess what? You and I as taxpayers will foot the bill!
I saw a story on TV last week of a 16 year old boy who was so fat they had to get a special horse lifter from a vet’s surgery to get him into hospital. His obesity had put so much pressure on his lungs that he could hardly breathe. He lived at home and his mother took no responsibility for him being in that condition. To me, that’s child abuse.
We need to get junk food out of the schools and off TV so that future generations might have a fighting chance of staying healthy.
www.outstandingfamily.com
http://haveanoutstandinglife.com

Monday, November 26, 2007

The Secret To A Happy Marriage

At Saint Mary's Catholic Church they have a weekly husband's marriage seminar. At the session last week, the Priest asked Luigi, who was approaching his 50th wedding anniversary, to take a few minutes and share some insight into how he had managed to stay married to the same woman all these years.
Luigi replied to the assembled husbands, "Well, I've a-tried to treat-a her nice, spend the money on her, but best of all is that I took-a her to Italy for the 20th anniversary!"
The Priest responded, "Luigi, you are an amazing inspiration to all the husbands here! Please tell us what you are planning for your wife for your 50th anniversary."
Luigi proudly replied , "I'm a-gonna go and bring her back ."
What is the secret to a happy marriage? This is a question that I get asked quite often and I always give the same reply…COMMUNICATION!
There have been times in my 37 years of marriage that either my husband or I have a problem that’s worrying us, and rather than let it simmer into something major, we talk about it and find ways of resolving it.
Let’s face it, no two people are the same and you’re each going to have different ideas or opinions, so it makes sense to discuss it. The lack of communication can lead to separation and divorce so don’t let unresolved issues break up your partnership.
www.outstandingfamily.com

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Thanksgiving In Australia

I’ve just come back from spending a wonderful Thanksgiving with our American friends in Sydney. I live in Brisbane, Australia so it’s just over an hour’s flight to get there. We have been celebrating together for the past 3 years and it’s just wonderful.
It was a week earlier this year because our host will be away this weekend, but we joined 57 other people to enjoy this wonderful celebration.
We had all the traditional foods like turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, beets, carrots, peas, beans, cranberry sauce, gravy and corn bread. My plate was piled so high I didn’t know where to start! We had 3 huge turkeys and no-one complained of hunger!
That wasn’t the end of the feast though. We then had pumpkin pie (my personal favourite), apple pie, chocolate fudge and cheesecake. We were also well plied with wine, beer, tea and coffee.
Our host gave a wonderful speech about the blessings of having wonderful family and friends around to celebrate Thanksgiving and even though the weather was hot we all had a great time.
Although we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia, it really makes you think about everything you have to be grateful for and you can’t get enough of that!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The Road To Success Is Long

The road to success can be can be very rocky no matter what area of your life you wish to succeed.

Lily Tomlin (the actress) once said: “In Hollywood a marriage is a success if it outlasts milk!”

Ain’t that the truth? We all say or think the same thing whenever there’s an announcement of a Hollywood marriage, and that is “how long will it last?” We don’t expect their marriages to go the distance.

Why do we think like that? The answer I think is that because actors live in such artificial surroundings, they cannot cope with reality. Their working life is a fantasy and when they step out and do something “normal” they just can’t cope.

I’ve heard some of them say that it’s because they both work in the same industry and they often work away from home for a few months at a time. To me that sounds like such a lame excuse. I know of couples who both work in the armed services and can be separated from each other for up to 6 months at a time, and they pick up their relationship from where they left off.

The road to success begins with your thoughts, feelings and actions and if any one of them is out of alignment then you need to rectify it as soon as possible to keep the balance in your life.

“Marriage is really tough because you have to deal with feelings…and lawyers!” Richard Pryor (1940-2005)

Personal development leads to success and is an ongoing learning experience. Achieving success in your relationships and every aspect in your life can be obtained by furthering your education.

Success University has the leadership skills to offer you courses in motivation, health and wellness, financial education, sales and marketing training, investing in real estate, time management, building quality relationships and much more. To find out more about their courses click HERE.

Crikey!

Today I am a very proud Australian as we celebrate Steve Irwin day. Steve was the Crocodile Hunter who lost his life doing what he loved in September last year.

His zoo is just 40 minutes from where I live and it’s a magnificent testament to his work with the wildlife. Today Steve will be remembered as the famous conservationist, but also as a devoted husband to Terri and loving father to his children Bindi and Bob.

The day will reveal a new statue of Steve and then the Crocoseum will be rocking with the world premiere of three new songs by Bindi Irwin. Later in the day there will be a special performance by Olivia Newton-John.

“We can’t wait to celebrate Steve’s amazing life the way he would have wanted through an action-packed day at the zoo”, Terri said.

The crowd attending have been encouraged to wear khaki in honour of Steve and Terri Irwin will launch her new book “My Steve.”

CROC’S RULE!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Women Do It All!

I was thinking about my two daughters the other day and how we as women have learned to multi-task without too much effort. I've watched both of them handle two to three tasks at a time.

I look at myself and what I used to do when my children were little. I'd be doing the washing holding a baby in my arms and kept a toddler out of mischief all at the same time! It was the same thing everyday and when I look back over those times I still don't know how I managed with 4 kids under 6. I guess we just get in and do it and wait for our hubby's to come home from work so that they can take over!

Even today I multi-task. I can read a book, watch TV and listen to the conversations going on around me, whereas my husband has a lot of trouble doing one thing at a time!

It's been said that man is the superior being, but I totally disagree. I cannot imagine a man having to cope with the many situations that we have to deal with.

A woman's lot in life is not an easy one and I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to change anything about my life. I'm loved and cherished by my husband and my ever expanding family, and that's all that matters.

For tips and advice on relationship and family issues, go to www.outstandingfamily.com

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Empower You

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The answers are all out there in the personal development marketplace. Now, more than ever before, people are turning to gurus for help in a variety of areas as they want more control of their emotional and financial lives.

The key to personal development is finding out which method works best for you. Since you’re investing time and money in these programs, it makes sense to consider what will be the most effective use of your resources.

This is where Success University comes into play. They have assembled a collection of best-selling authors and renowned speakers such as Brian Tracy, Zig Zigler, John C. Maxwell, Les Brown, Marcia Wieder, Jim Rohn and Suze Orman, just to name a few, to help you on your path to becoming an entrepreneur.

Success University has over 65,000 students! They have thousands of affiliates who receive a monthly personal development package, and an opportunity to share the business with others.

Whether it’s fortune, family or personal fulfillment that drives you, Success University can get you there.

For more information about Success University and other topics on my website, go to www.outstandingfamily.com

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Toxic Toy Banned

The top-selling children’s toy Bindeez beans has been banned in the majority of states in Australia after they were found to contain a toxin similar to Fantasy or “GBH” (Grievous Bodily Harm).

Two children in NSW have been hospitalized in the past 11 days suffering from seizures after eating the beads, while a two year old boy from QLD is in a Brisbane hospital in a serious condition.

People have been told that the toy is poisonous and must be taken away from children immediately. The children who became ill only swallowed a small quantity and doctors are warning that the toxin is dangerous and life threatening.

An investigation into how the toxin, which is an adhesive, ended up in the toy. Some experts believe it was deliberately swapped with one of the toy’s listed ingredients.

The toy which won “Toy of the Year” at the 2007 Melbourne, Australia toy fair, has been pulled off the shelves.

If you think your child has ingested the beads get to your nearest hospital’s emergency centre immediately.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

The People You Meet!

Last weekend I attended a wealth and prosperity seminar in Brisbane run by the Financial Freedom Institute, who also run regular Money Masters seminars throughout Australia, the UK and the USA.

A quote from their website at www.moneymasters.com.au “Imagine How Much Money You Could Generate Over A Lifetime if *YOU* Were Personally Trained By The World’s Leading Property, Stock Market, Business, Internet Marketing, eBay, Finance, Tax, Peak Performance Superstars For 3 Solid Days”…

That sums up the whole event really well and I walked away with so much knowledge and great ideas to put into place that my head was swimming!

I’ve had the pleasure of becoming friends with Nik Halik, the founder of FFI, and his sister Victoria, so it’s great catching up with them when they come to Brisbane. My eldest daughter Michelle is a member of the Money Masters logistics team and has been to Melbourne and Perth with the team, so we have a strong family connection.

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting a phenomenally inspirational and genuinely nice guy Johnny Wimbrey. Johnny is an International Training Director for Success University. They firmly believe that knowledge alone won’t make you wealthy…We go to school for 12 to 20 years of our lives but are simply never taught the right kind of knowledge to be successful in life. In today’s world, you need to THINK in a different way to achieve real success. If you’d like to know more about Success University click HERE.

Here’s a photo of me taken with Johnny Wimbrey.



This one is of me, Johnny and my daughter Michelle



This is a family shot of Mum, Dad, Michelle and Johnny



I’ve also included a photo of my daughter with Nik Halik.



Nik leads a fascinating life and has some wonderful stories to tell. He would have to be one of the greatest stock market educators in the world. Visit the Financial Freedom website for information on his courses. They’re definitely worth a look at no matter what country you live in.

Overall it was a very educational and inspiring weekend!