If you own a GPS unit, you understand that if you do not know where you are going, you will never know if you have arrived.
Last week I received an amazing phone call. It was from my good friend Amy Tee. She is a stand-up comedian. If you haven't of her yet, no worries...you will. In the meantime, you can find her at www.AmyTee.com
She was most recently in Florida, performing several shows.
I have known Amy for over 5 years. We met when I started in comedy. She had begun 6 months prior. As soon as I met Amy, I knew she would be going places.
When she and her Mom attended one of my motivational seminars a few years ago, Amy brought the only needed materials for her Vision Board: her dreams for happiness and success.
If you are interested in constructing a Vision Board for your own life, here are the pictures you may wish to include:
1) things you would like to have
2) places you would like to go
3) people whom you'd like to meet
4) words and pictures that describe the type of person you wish to be in the world
The road of life is long, and has many forks and turns. If you are not sure exactly where you wish to end up, you could wind up in a dead-end or stuck in an endless loop of off-ramps, never committing to a single one.
Basically, in GPS-speak, you will spend an unfulfilled lifetime 'RE-CALCULATING'.
The outer edge of Amy's board was framed with the names of the many cities she wished to perform in. She has already knocked off several of them. Her dreams of having her own sitcom have led her to connections with producers and other industry people in Los Angeles.
Although Amy has had several GPS units stolen from her vehicle (gotta hide those things honey), her internal GPS remains well-focused on her destination. And nobody can steal that one, or change the destination.
How is your personal GPS?
Are you focused on your final destinations, with updates that remind you of how close you are getting?
Or are you constantly RE-CALCULATING?
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Every Day Above Ground...(don't say it!!)
I am a motivational speaker.
It is what I choose to do, and be.
There, I said it.
However, this does not mean that I am always 'on'. Therefore, please do not be surprised when I wince and roll my eyes if you ever decide to inform me that "every day above ground is a GREAT day!!".
There are two predominant types of people in the world:
1) Optimistic (those who favor a more positive point of view)
2) Pessimistic (those who favor a more negative point of view)
I am okay with either of them. At least I know where you stand. I can respect that you have your reasons for being either one.
There is a third type of person, one that is too exuberant even for me (and did I mention I am a motivational speaker?). These are the people who are just too happy, wearing their ruby slippers a bit too often.
To them, I generally provide the following information:
I was above ground the day my ex-wife and I got divorced (not a great day).
I was above ground 2 weeks later when I realized I was $65,000 in debt (another bad day)
I was above ground as I watched one of my best friends die of cancer at the age of 23 (I was 24 and, 17 years later, it still ranks as one of the worst days of my life).
I do not reveal these things to be a downer, or sound pessimistic. These were days of my life that I dealt with. No ruby slippers. No ear-to-ear grin that wiped away reality.
I'll lay it right out there: those days sucked.
But, here is where my optimistic self shines through: what I did with these days is where the magic happened. They all taught me a lesson. They have all led to realizations, and better days.
While every day is not necessarily a great day, each one has the seeds of greatness within it somewhere. Some days it takes a long, hard look to find even one good thing. Some days it may seem impossible.
From my failed marriage, I learned that communication is key to a relationship.
From the debt, I learned you have to keep your eyes on the money and not make stupid choices (which I had done).
From my friend's death, I learned that life is too short to not take a shot at your dreams (he was the person who convinced me to follow my dreams of being in radio, and he died 2 weeks after I got my first job).
Every day carries with it the opportunity to make a great day.
The key is: opportunity. Seek it. Find it. Create it.
I believe there is at least one, every day, if we can just care enough to discover it.
It may the chance for a better job or more money, a great connection with someone special, even a smile for/from a complete stranger.
Who knows? You might just be that opportunity (for a great day) that someone else desperately needs today.
It starts with being aware...and that can start today.
It's your choice. It is out there, waiting for you. Are you willing to find it?
It is what I choose to do, and be.
There, I said it.
However, this does not mean that I am always 'on'. Therefore, please do not be surprised when I wince and roll my eyes if you ever decide to inform me that "every day above ground is a GREAT day!!".
There are two predominant types of people in the world:
1) Optimistic (those who favor a more positive point of view)
2) Pessimistic (those who favor a more negative point of view)
I am okay with either of them. At least I know where you stand. I can respect that you have your reasons for being either one.
There is a third type of person, one that is too exuberant even for me (and did I mention I am a motivational speaker?). These are the people who are just too happy, wearing their ruby slippers a bit too often.
To them, I generally provide the following information:
I was above ground the day my ex-wife and I got divorced (not a great day).
I was above ground 2 weeks later when I realized I was $65,000 in debt (another bad day)
I was above ground as I watched one of my best friends die of cancer at the age of 23 (I was 24 and, 17 years later, it still ranks as one of the worst days of my life).
I do not reveal these things to be a downer, or sound pessimistic. These were days of my life that I dealt with. No ruby slippers. No ear-to-ear grin that wiped away reality.
I'll lay it right out there: those days sucked.
But, here is where my optimistic self shines through: what I did with these days is where the magic happened. They all taught me a lesson. They have all led to realizations, and better days.
While every day is not necessarily a great day, each one has the seeds of greatness within it somewhere. Some days it takes a long, hard look to find even one good thing. Some days it may seem impossible.
From my failed marriage, I learned that communication is key to a relationship.
From the debt, I learned you have to keep your eyes on the money and not make stupid choices (which I had done).
From my friend's death, I learned that life is too short to not take a shot at your dreams (he was the person who convinced me to follow my dreams of being in radio, and he died 2 weeks after I got my first job).
Every day carries with it the opportunity to make a great day.
The key is: opportunity. Seek it. Find it. Create it.
I believe there is at least one, every day, if we can just care enough to discover it.
It may the chance for a better job or more money, a great connection with someone special, even a smile for/from a complete stranger.
Who knows? You might just be that opportunity (for a great day) that someone else desperately needs today.
It starts with being aware...and that can start today.
It's your choice. It is out there, waiting for you. Are you willing to find it?
Friday, June 19, 2009
Give a Little, Gain a Lot
"You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself" (Harvey Firestone)
At 4:00 yesterday afternoon, I received a telephone solicitation for a local charity. As it was not one of the high-profile charities (I think I have been relegated to a second-tier calling list), I declined. Matter of fact, I think it was the same guy who had already called me twice earlier in the week, disguising his voice. I think this third inquiry was an attempt to raise money for new windshield wipers on his mother's '78 Buick.
If Saint Jude is the patron saint of lost causes, I think this caller can safely be dubbed the patron saint of less-than-life-threatening causes.
As I politely declined his request (for the third time), his reply was: "Awww, come on, you have to give something back to the world".
My answer: I give something to the world every day, and you can too.
Some people hear this and think: "No way...I have to get the kids on the bus, drop off my dry cleaning, go to work, pick up the kids after school, go to soccer practice, make dinner, fix the couch where the dog thought his toy was hiding..."
Here is the beautiful part of giving: you do not have to make any additional entries on your already overcrowded To-do list. Actually, when you add 'giving' to the roster, your day may become less stressful and chaotic.
You can bring positive energy and value by enhancing, in the slightest way, things you are already doing.
Examples I have encountered recently:
1) My favorite question to ask convenience store clerks is "So, how is everybody treating you today?". Many of them are so tired of the "How ya doin'...good" dead-end conversations, it catches them by surprise. Then I make a little joke as they are counting change. Leaves them with a smile 99% of the time.
2) An older gentleman in a grocery store, examining his coupons for cereal, notices the one he wants is on the top shelf. As he raises his cane to 'hook' it, a young man asks if he can be of assistance. With a chuckle, the older man points to the one he wants and says: "Thank you, young man, very nice of you. Sometimes I drop the wrong one." They both share a laugh and get on with their day.
3) I was the opening act at a comedy club recently. After the show, as I greeted and thanked people for attending, two women aproached and pointed to another woman across the room. "That is our friend, and tonight was the first time she's come out with us since her husband died a year ago." Putting her finger to my chest, she told me "You made her laugh for the first time in a long time. Thank you so much!". I was there to make people laugh and have fun. Just doing my 'job' was suddenly so much more valuable, with no extra effort.
Simple giving, that is all it is. Being aware of opportunities while we are already doing what we are doing. It took no extra time or energy, really, to make the above actions happen.
How many opportunities do we have to give, every day?
At 4:00 yesterday afternoon, I received a telephone solicitation for a local charity. As it was not one of the high-profile charities (I think I have been relegated to a second-tier calling list), I declined. Matter of fact, I think it was the same guy who had already called me twice earlier in the week, disguising his voice. I think this third inquiry was an attempt to raise money for new windshield wipers on his mother's '78 Buick.
If Saint Jude is the patron saint of lost causes, I think this caller can safely be dubbed the patron saint of less-than-life-threatening causes.
As I politely declined his request (for the third time), his reply was: "Awww, come on, you have to give something back to the world".
My answer: I give something to the world every day, and you can too.
Some people hear this and think: "No way...I have to get the kids on the bus, drop off my dry cleaning, go to work, pick up the kids after school, go to soccer practice, make dinner, fix the couch where the dog thought his toy was hiding..."
Here is the beautiful part of giving: you do not have to make any additional entries on your already overcrowded To-do list. Actually, when you add 'giving' to the roster, your day may become less stressful and chaotic.
You can bring positive energy and value by enhancing, in the slightest way, things you are already doing.
Examples I have encountered recently:
1) My favorite question to ask convenience store clerks is "So, how is everybody treating you today?". Many of them are so tired of the "How ya doin'...good" dead-end conversations, it catches them by surprise. Then I make a little joke as they are counting change. Leaves them with a smile 99% of the time.
2) An older gentleman in a grocery store, examining his coupons for cereal, notices the one he wants is on the top shelf. As he raises his cane to 'hook' it, a young man asks if he can be of assistance. With a chuckle, the older man points to the one he wants and says: "Thank you, young man, very nice of you. Sometimes I drop the wrong one." They both share a laugh and get on with their day.
3) I was the opening act at a comedy club recently. After the show, as I greeted and thanked people for attending, two women aproached and pointed to another woman across the room. "That is our friend, and tonight was the first time she's come out with us since her husband died a year ago." Putting her finger to my chest, she told me "You made her laugh for the first time in a long time. Thank you so much!". I was there to make people laugh and have fun. Just doing my 'job' was suddenly so much more valuable, with no extra effort.
Simple giving, that is all it is. Being aware of opportunities while we are already doing what we are doing. It took no extra time or energy, really, to make the above actions happen.
How many opportunities do we have to give, every day?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
We All Need A Little Heart
At a recent Toastmasters Conference in New Brunswick, I had the chance to hear a young speaker named Mark R. W. Black. He was scheduled to present during lunchtime. Not recognizing his name, or knowing his topic, I nearly bolted for the door with the promise of a 3-piece order of the Colonel's Original Recipe on my mind.
It was the best trip I never made. KFC's $6.00 loss was a priceless gain for me.
As a professional speaker, I was humbled. As a compassionate human being, I rejoiced in the laughter and tears, hopes and dreams of his presentation. Without giving away too much, let me say this: medically speaking, he should not be here. Bottom line. His life is a miracle, and he is now dedicated to sharing that miracle with the world, to explain that we all have miracles within us, just waiting to happen.
After lunch, I had the incredible honor of trading a $20 bill for an autographed copy of his book "Live Life From the Heart". Another wise investment.
How is your life? Year? Month? Week? Day???
Are you creating your own miracle and sharing it with the world? If not, take a good, hard look into your own heart. There is one there, with building blocks made up of the many gifts you have been given as a truly unique individual.
It just needs you to reach for it, take it by the hand, add a whole lot of heart, and take it for the ride of a lifetime.
You just never know who you might inspire. Maybe even yourself.
What is your miracle?
It was the best trip I never made. KFC's $6.00 loss was a priceless gain for me.
As a professional speaker, I was humbled. As a compassionate human being, I rejoiced in the laughter and tears, hopes and dreams of his presentation. Without giving away too much, let me say this: medically speaking, he should not be here. Bottom line. His life is a miracle, and he is now dedicated to sharing that miracle with the world, to explain that we all have miracles within us, just waiting to happen.
After lunch, I had the incredible honor of trading a $20 bill for an autographed copy of his book "Live Life From the Heart". Another wise investment.
How is your life? Year? Month? Week? Day???
Are you creating your own miracle and sharing it with the world? If not, take a good, hard look into your own heart. There is one there, with building blocks made up of the many gifts you have been given as a truly unique individual.
It just needs you to reach for it, take it by the hand, add a whole lot of heart, and take it for the ride of a lifetime.
You just never know who you might inspire. Maybe even yourself.
What is your miracle?
Monday, June 15, 2009
When Motivation Meets Feng Shui
Hello all,
As part of a BlitzTime.com networking session last week, I enjoyed a wonderful phone conversation with talented artist and Feng Shui master Lidia Scher. We discussed how people often seek improvement in their personal lives, reaching out for books, DVD's, seminars, DVD's and other recordings. However, they often fail to realize that their physical surroundings are an integral part of the 'improvement' process. As a result, I will share the following account with you. I hope you will find her as inspiring as I did.
Thank you Lidia!
It is my pleasure to include talented people such as yourself in my blogs.
*************************************************************************************
"Last week I connected with interior designer & Feng Shui master Lidia Scher. She reminded me of how the art & science of Feng Shui is in fact a practical way to arrange a home and office that will enhance relationships, work flow, health and prosperity. Lidia and I discussed the advantages of incorporating these ancient principles when considering a renovation, remodeling, repainting, and/or even prior to buying and selling property, because they can greatly enhance the design/build team and give owners and their property a new lease on life. She explained that a layout of a home or office provides hidden cues to the success of people's life and career, because when you select a space to live and/or work in it, you do so based on your current thinking and feeling patterns. These patterns are a combination of your passion, your attitude, your goals and your beliefs. You may have discovered that in order to succeed you need to come up with smarter goals and you are eager to implement them. Yet if your environment has been arranged based on your former thinking patterns, your chances of succeeding with your new efforts are greatly dimished. Understanding how to tweak the space to support your new thinking may yield amazing results. Thus, she states that there are no management systems, marketing efforts, or client-centered practices that can be sustained without a supportive environment.
Lidia Scher is an award-winning interior designer, an accomplished visual artist and Feng Shui master. She has been at the helm of L.A.S. Associates, an interior and architectural design firm based in Arlington, MA for the past 23 years. Her specialty is dental and medical environments where occupants love to be in work in and return to day after day. She is also a partner in Virtual Dental Solutions, a web-based consulting company to the dental community.
L.A.S. ASSOCIATES -www.lasassociates.net
Integrated Interior & Architectural Design with Feng Shui Principles Dental & Medical Office Design * Feng Shui Consultations & Educational Programs with Certified Feng Shui Professionals* Optimal Space Planning
Art Studio- www.lidiascherart.com
Original Art * Custom Art & Furniture
PO BOX 750001, Arlington Heights, MA 02475
VX 781.643.2758 * FX 781.777.1139
Visit Lidia on Facebook, linkedin and www.e-dds.com
As part of a BlitzTime.com networking session last week, I enjoyed a wonderful phone conversation with talented artist and Feng Shui master Lidia Scher. We discussed how people often seek improvement in their personal lives, reaching out for books, DVD's, seminars, DVD's and other recordings. However, they often fail to realize that their physical surroundings are an integral part of the 'improvement' process. As a result, I will share the following account with you. I hope you will find her as inspiring as I did.
Thank you Lidia!
It is my pleasure to include talented people such as yourself in my blogs.
*************************************************************************************
"Last week I connected with interior designer & Feng Shui master Lidia Scher. She reminded me of how the art & science of Feng Shui is in fact a practical way to arrange a home and office that will enhance relationships, work flow, health and prosperity. Lidia and I discussed the advantages of incorporating these ancient principles when considering a renovation, remodeling, repainting, and/or even prior to buying and selling property, because they can greatly enhance the design/build team and give owners and their property a new lease on life. She explained that a layout of a home or office provides hidden cues to the success of people's life and career, because when you select a space to live and/or work in it, you do so based on your current thinking and feeling patterns. These patterns are a combination of your passion, your attitude, your goals and your beliefs. You may have discovered that in order to succeed you need to come up with smarter goals and you are eager to implement them. Yet if your environment has been arranged based on your former thinking patterns, your chances of succeeding with your new efforts are greatly dimished. Understanding how to tweak the space to support your new thinking may yield amazing results. Thus, she states that there are no management systems, marketing efforts, or client-centered practices that can be sustained without a supportive environment.
Lidia Scher is an award-winning interior designer, an accomplished visual artist and Feng Shui master. She has been at the helm of L.A.S. Associates, an interior and architectural design firm based in Arlington, MA for the past 23 years. Her specialty is dental and medical environments where occupants love to be in work in and return to day after day. She is also a partner in Virtual Dental Solutions, a web-based consulting company to the dental community.
L.A.S. ASSOCIATES -www.lasassociates.net
Integrated Interior & Architectural Design with Feng Shui Principles Dental & Medical Office Design * Feng Shui Consultations & Educational Programs with Certified Feng Shui Professionals* Optimal Space Planning
Art Studio- www.lidiascherart.com
Original Art * Custom Art & Furniture
PO BOX 750001, Arlington Heights, MA 02475
VX 781.643.2758 * FX 781.777.1139
Visit Lidia on Facebook, linkedin and www.e-dds.com
Monday, June 8, 2009
Always Keep Learning (and Don't Stop Believing)
It is 4:48am as I begin this writing session.
I should not be awake. I should not be in the office. I should not be forming complete sentences.
You see, I arrived home late yesterday after an 1100-mile weekend round-trip journey (in just over 48 hours) from the woods of New Hampshire to the even more 'woodsy' Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.
I am a Toastmaster. I attended a Regional Conference more than 500 miles from home.
That is what Toastmasters do.
After two years in the organization, having achieved a healthy deal of recognition, I realized something this weekend:
I have so much more to learn before I even scratch the surface of what my fellow Toastmasters can teach me!
The weekend travel, begining at 2am on Friday, had its share of close-calls (3 deer, a rabbit and a squirrel) and casualties (2 butterflies, several bottles of 5-Hour Energy and my opinion that I was at (or anywhere near) my potential as a speaker).
It was humbling to see the talent present, each with different degrees of success in varying amounts of time: some have been at it for decades, others are more recent additions, yet already full of fire.
I am motivated by both.
My travel companion Sue (a fellow Toastmaster) and I shared a decision: we want to really buckle down and give our respective speaking endeavors a good kick in the butt. We spent the weekend with wide eyes, open ears and (even more important) open hearts.
The biggest reason I was present: I won the Humorously Speaking Competition for the region last Fall. To be honest, I felt I was performing at 'cruising' speed this weekend (as part of a showcase) and (sadly) may not have approached it with the intensity it deserved. The results were well-received, but nowhere near the greatness I know I could have executed.
Thanks to my co-presenters, I am now more open to learning, open to possibility...and open for suggestions.
The educational presentations over the weekend were excellent, all led by Toastmasters who have taken their opportunities farther than I have been (so far) willing to take mine.
I thank them for their inspiration (Darren, Val, Vince, Dilip, Mark, etc) as well as the friends I made over the weekend (Shawn, Debra, Dan, Nicole, Robbie, Joe and so many more).
You have all impacted my life forever.
The biggest reason for the conference was the regional round of the International Speaking Competition.
I observed more than a half-dozen contestants gracefully perform a dance that I dream of performing. They moved the audience effortlessly from laughter and tears to hopes and dreams. They were all winners, in my opionion, because they moved this humbled speaker from complacency to fascination.
My goal, complete with laundry list of activities which must be executed, is to win this International Toastmaster competition in 2010. Yes, the whole thing.
How does one set up and win his/her greatest goals?
1) identify exactly what you want (just did...wow, that is a big one!)
2) share the dream with others (for accountability, inspiration and support)
3) become familiar with those who have traveled the journey, and follow their path. Success leaves clues, as many have said.
As we arrived on Friday, after a ten-hour drive, we immediately dragged our exhausted selves into a conference room to hear a 90-minute presentation by Darren Lacroix, winner of the International Speaking Competition in 2001.
His words and message found their way though my foggy brain and (sorry Darren, not your fault) detached facial expression...and settled in my brain and heart. He told me (all of us, really, but I took it very personally) that we must always be working on 'the' speech, perfecting and crafting it until we know every nuance. We also need to find someone whom we trust to be our accountability partners, to coach and support us on our journey.
He also reminded us to believe in ourselves and our talents...always.
Thank you Darren. Thank you all.
I will never forget this experience.
I will always be learning.
Don't stop believing.
I should not be awake. I should not be in the office. I should not be forming complete sentences.
You see, I arrived home late yesterday after an 1100-mile weekend round-trip journey (in just over 48 hours) from the woods of New Hampshire to the even more 'woodsy' Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.
I am a Toastmaster. I attended a Regional Conference more than 500 miles from home.
That is what Toastmasters do.
After two years in the organization, having achieved a healthy deal of recognition, I realized something this weekend:
I have so much more to learn before I even scratch the surface of what my fellow Toastmasters can teach me!
The weekend travel, begining at 2am on Friday, had its share of close-calls (3 deer, a rabbit and a squirrel) and casualties (2 butterflies, several bottles of 5-Hour Energy and my opinion that I was at (or anywhere near) my potential as a speaker).
It was humbling to see the talent present, each with different degrees of success in varying amounts of time: some have been at it for decades, others are more recent additions, yet already full of fire.
I am motivated by both.
My travel companion Sue (a fellow Toastmaster) and I shared a decision: we want to really buckle down and give our respective speaking endeavors a good kick in the butt. We spent the weekend with wide eyes, open ears and (even more important) open hearts.
The biggest reason I was present: I won the Humorously Speaking Competition for the region last Fall. To be honest, I felt I was performing at 'cruising' speed this weekend (as part of a showcase) and (sadly) may not have approached it with the intensity it deserved. The results were well-received, but nowhere near the greatness I know I could have executed.
Thanks to my co-presenters, I am now more open to learning, open to possibility...and open for suggestions.
The educational presentations over the weekend were excellent, all led by Toastmasters who have taken their opportunities farther than I have been (so far) willing to take mine.
I thank them for their inspiration (Darren, Val, Vince, Dilip, Mark, etc) as well as the friends I made over the weekend (Shawn, Debra, Dan, Nicole, Robbie, Joe and so many more).
You have all impacted my life forever.
The biggest reason for the conference was the regional round of the International Speaking Competition.
I observed more than a half-dozen contestants gracefully perform a dance that I dream of performing. They moved the audience effortlessly from laughter and tears to hopes and dreams. They were all winners, in my opionion, because they moved this humbled speaker from complacency to fascination.
My goal, complete with laundry list of activities which must be executed, is to win this International Toastmaster competition in 2010. Yes, the whole thing.
How does one set up and win his/her greatest goals?
1) identify exactly what you want (just did...wow, that is a big one!)
2) share the dream with others (for accountability, inspiration and support)
3) become familiar with those who have traveled the journey, and follow their path. Success leaves clues, as many have said.
As we arrived on Friday, after a ten-hour drive, we immediately dragged our exhausted selves into a conference room to hear a 90-minute presentation by Darren Lacroix, winner of the International Speaking Competition in 2001.
His words and message found their way though my foggy brain and (sorry Darren, not your fault) detached facial expression...and settled in my brain and heart. He told me (all of us, really, but I took it very personally) that we must always be working on 'the' speech, perfecting and crafting it until we know every nuance. We also need to find someone whom we trust to be our accountability partners, to coach and support us on our journey.
He also reminded us to believe in ourselves and our talents...always.
Thank you Darren. Thank you all.
I will never forget this experience.
I will always be learning.
Don't stop believing.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Can't Smile With (or Without) You
Okay, I have to admit this one caught me by surprise.
Here is a headline from USA Today on-line: "Four States Adopt 'No Smilies' Policy for Drivers' Licenses".
Huh?
In an attempt to cut down on drivers' license, fraud, you are no longer allowed to smile for your license photos in Arkansas, Indiana, Nevada and Virginia. Or, at least, not smile very much.
I thought it was only the Motor Vehicle Department employees who were not allowed to smile?!?!?
According to an About.com search, smiling is (as I thought) a good thing:
* smiling makes us more attractive (may help with a speeding ticket)
* smiling releases endorphins, natural painkillers and serotinin
* smiling lowers your blood pressure
* smiling changes our mood
* smiling relieves stress
In their defense, the Illinois Head of Drivers Services says that 6000 people have been stopped from getting fraudulent licenses since 1999. Of the likely MILLIONS of people who have gotten their licenses, they have caught 6000.
Given those odds, I am choosing to continue to smile, and hope that New Hampshire does not follow suit.
I hope that you greet this day with a smile.
“Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart.”
(Anthony J. D'Angelo)
Excellent quote Anthony. Just don't try to smile next time you are getting your driver's license at the DMV.
They appear to have changed the locks.
Here is a headline from USA Today on-line: "Four States Adopt 'No Smilies' Policy for Drivers' Licenses".
Huh?
In an attempt to cut down on drivers' license, fraud, you are no longer allowed to smile for your license photos in Arkansas, Indiana, Nevada and Virginia. Or, at least, not smile very much.
I thought it was only the Motor Vehicle Department employees who were not allowed to smile?!?!?
According to an About.com search, smiling is (as I thought) a good thing:
* smiling makes us more attractive (may help with a speeding ticket)
* smiling releases endorphins, natural painkillers and serotinin
* smiling lowers your blood pressure
* smiling changes our mood
* smiling relieves stress
In their defense, the Illinois Head of Drivers Services says that 6000 people have been stopped from getting fraudulent licenses since 1999. Of the likely MILLIONS of people who have gotten their licenses, they have caught 6000.
Given those odds, I am choosing to continue to smile, and hope that New Hampshire does not follow suit.
I hope that you greet this day with a smile.
“Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart.”
(Anthony J. D'Angelo)
Excellent quote Anthony. Just don't try to smile next time you are getting your driver's license at the DMV.
They appear to have changed the locks.
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