You Dont Need Feet To Dance

In 1982, teenager Sudha Chandran was a highly accomplished classical dancer with a promising future in her native India.  That all changed when her right leg had to be amputated after a car crash.  Though the incident brought her bright career to a halt, she didnt give up.

In the painful months that followed, she sought out an Indian doctor who had devoted his life to developing innovative artificial limbs, particularly a solid but flexible artificial foot.  The doctor agreed to create a prosthesis for Sudha and studied the type of dance she used to do, tailoring the limb to allow many kinds of movement.

Sudha believed in herself and her dream, and began her courageous journey back to the world of dancing learning to balance, bend, stretch, walk, turn, twist, twirl, and finally, dance.

In 1984, Sudha made a historic comeback by giving a public recital in Bombay.  Her performance was met with thunderous applause, and invitations to dance flooded in from all over the world.  A shrewd movie producer invited Sudha to tell her story on screen, launching Sudhas highly successful film and television career.

When Sudha was asked how shed ever thought shed dance again after such a setback, she said quite simply, You dont need feet to dance.

Instead of asking Why me? Sudha said, Whats next?

 I Heard You Say

Take a tip from your favorite waiter or waitress:  According to a study, 85 percent of customers like their order repeated back to them, because it makes them feel theyre being heard.  It also gives you the chance to make changes or corrections, but the most important effect is that it validates what youve said.

Use this as a guide to everyday conversations.  Dont parrot back peoples words all the time, of course, but paraphrase them often enough to show that you value what theyre saying.

Write It/$ave It

Are you spending more money than you need to?  Its a nagging worry, especially these days.  Fortunately, you dont need an advanced degree in finance and accounting to analyze your spending.

Try this:  Keep track of your spending for one week.  Just one week longer, and youll probably get too busy.  But you can hold onto your receipts and add them up for seven days.  At the end of the week, separate and categorize your expenses (use a spreadsheet if that helps you visualize better).  Youll see what youre spending your money on, and chances are youll find at least a few areas where you can cut back.

How To Escape From
The Always More Mind

You may know someone who skitters from one task to another, never enjoying an accomplishment before moving on to the next thing to be accomplished or mastered.  And what does get done is never enough.

In The Heroines Journey by Maureen Murdock, this is called The myth of never being enough.  When youre stuck in this mindset, youre never satisfied with what you do, because something deep inside yourself tells you, Its not enough.  Youre always thinking ahead.  You agree that what youre engaged in currently is not enough.  If youre gardening, you feel you should be working on your report, and if youre working on your report, you feel you should be gardening.

Murdock recommends this exercise for overcoming this tyrannical way of thinking.  Take a piece of paper and divide it into three columns.  In the first column write, I planted daisies.  In the second column write, I am satisfied.  In the third column write, And thats enough!

Though its a simple exercise, Murdock says that if you practice it whenever you catch yourself being a self-critical, unsatisfied tyrant, that feeling of not enough will gradually disappear from your mind.

Silly Statements

If youre a logophile a lover of words you might find yourself cringing as you read these words!

        Police were called to a day-care center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

        When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.

        The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

        The dead batteries were given out free of charge.

        A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.

        A calendars days are numbered.

        With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.

        If you take a laptop computer for a run, you could jog your memory.

        When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought shed dye.

        Acupuncture:  a jab well done.

New Approach To Problems

At work, at home, even on vacation, there are always problems that need solving.  Some problems are easy to solve with the same solutions that have always worked.  Others call for a fresh thinking, an original approach.  Try these tips for generating exciting, new ideas:

Rephrase your problem.  Turn your problem around by describing it in different words.  Instead of How can we produce more widgets? ask, Whats preventing us from producing X widgets a week?

Dig deeper.  Instead of focusing exclusively on the present situation, explore the background.  When did the problem start, for example?  What changed?  Or, what are some of the underlying causes?  What could you do about them?

Avoid either/or thinking.  Dont limit the possibilities.  Instead of We can either raise revenues or cut costs, look for ways to do both, or find additional options.  Maybe you have time to work on only one project, for example, but instead of neglecting the other, perhaps you can find someone else to get it started.

Ask for help.  No matter how smart you are, an extra brain will usually help you find options you wouldnt have considered on your own.  Someone elses eyes may see angles you hadnt spotted before.  Go outside your usual circle of advisors for a different perspective.

Keep a log.  Carry a small notebook and get into the habit of writing down your ideas as they occur to you, so theyll be accessible when you need them.  Dont worry about how practical your ideas are in the beginning, or what they might apply to.  Just looking through your list may spark a thought you wouldnt have found before.

Your Toothbrush Friend Or Foe?

You may be very conscientious about your dental care, but if youre using a worn toothbrush, you may also be sabotaging your good efforts.  The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends replacing your toothbrush every three to four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed.  Childrens toothbrushes often need replacing more frequently than adult brushes.  In addition:

Do not share toothbrushes.  Sharing a toothbrush could result in an exchange of body fluids and/or microorganisms between the users of the toothbrush, placing the individuals involved at an increased risk for infections.  This practice could be a particular concern for persons with compromised immune systems or existing infectious diseases.

Thoroughly rinse toothbrushes with tap water after brushing to remove any remaining toothpaste and debris.  Store the brush in an upright position and allow the toothbrush to air-dry until used again.

If more than one brush is stored in the same holder or area, keep the brushes separated to prevent cross-contamination.  Clean the holder often.

Do not routinely cover toothbrushes or store them in closed containers.  A moist environment such as a closed container is more conducive to bacterial growth than the open air.

How To Childproof Your Home Office

If your office is in your home and you have small children, safety is paramount.  Heres how to guard against these common home-office dangers:

Cords.  Keep phone lines, electrical cords, cables, and window cords looped and out of childrens reach to reduce potential strangulation hazards.

Clutter.  Small objects like pen caps, loose change, rubbers bands, and the like can easily choke a small child.  Keep your workspace clear of anything that might find its way down a little ones throat.

Shelving and storage.  Keep file cabinets locked so children cant open them and cause them to fall over.

Sharp edges.  Scissors, letter openers, and other sharp objects should be kept out of reach and out of sight to prevent injuries.

Chemicals.  Cleaning supplies, liquid paper, and ink cartridges can be hazardous if ingested.  Dont leave them accessible to curious kids.

How To Succeed By Failing

Success is aboutfailure.  At least, its about learning how to fail without letting it stop you from moving forward.  As personal and business coach Jane Herman writes:

Youve heard the expression, Anything worth doing is worth doing well.  Heres your new motto:  Anything worth doing is worth being willing to do badly.  If something is important to you, then youve got to be willing to try it, even knowing that you may fail.  If you have the attitude that you cant do something unless you can do it well, or perfectly, then you will never take a step.  Be willing to take the step.

Is This
Your New Career?

Lots of people these days are investigating new careers, thanks to the recession and the changing economic landscape.

Yahoos HotJobs Web site targets some jobs that just might become major options for todays and tomorrows jobseekers:

Data miner.  Collectors of data from the Internet for marketing purposes may become very important as more and more commerce moves online.  The mean annual salary is just over $70,000; the top 10 percent can earn over $100,000.

Environmental engineer.  Climate change, fluctuating energy prices, and ecological concerns are driving a new need for people who can create clean, low-impact vehicles, buildings, and products.  Salary:  approximately $74,000.

Accent reduction.  Globalization means being able to communicate clearly with people from other cultures.  Trainers work with executives, customer-relations specialists, and others around the world to eliminate speaking styles that impede clarity of communication.  Salary:  about $64,000.

Auto mechanic.  Drivers are keeping their current vehicles longer instead of spending money on new cars, which means an increased need for maintenance.  And a generation of Baby Boomer mechanics is reaching retirement age.  Average salary:  A little over $36,000.

Its Oktoberfest!

Did you know that the Canadian twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo host the next-to-largest Oktoberfest in the world, second only to the original celebration in Munich, Germany?

Also billed as Canadas Greatest Bavarian Festival, the event began in 1969 and now hosts upwards of 700,000 visitors annually.  This years festival runs from October 9 to 17 and offers 15 Festhallen, Bavarian-decorated buildings or tents scattered throughout the Kitchener-Waterloo region that form the hub of the festival.  The roster includes a Thanksgiving parade, treasure hunt, car and fashion shows, the Miss Oktoberfest pageant, oompah bands, Bavarian dancers, and of course, beer and lots of great German cuisine.

According to their Web site, the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is wunderbar!  For information visit www.oktoberfest.ca/.