It’s a time of hope renewed!

Our major focus will probably be our financial well being given the economic climate.  However, a twin issue needs to be our health.  When our health is in top form, our thinking will be sound, our energy will soar, and our relationships will be stronger.

We are pleased to share a New year’s blessing by:

Dr Obert Henry

 a dentist, practicing in Maryland, USA.

Well-Being

This is a principle which implies personal and collective probity, scrupulous discipline, compliance and intactness. It attempts to measure and reflect one’s successful achievement of goals across a wide spectrum of voluntary and accepted willing purpose in life.

By its very nature, a sense of well-being will conceptually vary from person to person, though its evaluation usually holds consistently firm in the following realms:

• The social/emotional
• The spiritual
• The physical

Taken together, these give life a compass to guide along a determined path.

One popular axiom tells it at it is:

“You are not what you think you are; but what you think- you are.”

Public score-keeping looks into records and reads the entries about our lives as timely stated. Be it vagabond or firebrand, the veritable source of one’s sense of “well-being” is undoubtedly found in the chronicles where we see ourselves by reflection.

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 May 2009 be your healthiest and most successful year yet!

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One of the major traps of the holiday season is to lounge around, have a good time, and do no serious work. We get up late, watch TV, or catchup with friends on the phone, and before you know it, we have not invested any time in preparing ourselves for the upcoming year.

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I invite you to start a new tradition or renew a great habit of setting aside some time for quiet contemplation of what goals and achievement you will like to accomplish in 2009.

I invite you to sit down with that yellow pad, index cards  and do some purposeful capturing, clarification, and confirmation of your 2009 goals.

Here is a great tool to help you to assess your strengths.

Great assessment tool

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Another secret of success is accountablity.  Invite a friend to join you in this quest, and share with them your plans and how you would like to be held accountable.

I assure you, you will have a much better year with this tiny investment of time, and will power.

Are there other planning strategies you practice that could help others?

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The services, and parties are winding down. It’s time to get ready for the new year.

I went over to do some dusting of my coffee table.

There it was, my newly found bottle.  OK, I am not into idolatry, but what if…

So I rubbed it again, and puff!  There she was again, my yard genie!

“So what I  can grant you as you prepare for 2009?” She wistfully chimed.

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“How about more time?” I quickly responded.

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Placing her hands on my shoulder, she shared that is one wish she cannot grant.

She first reminded me of Elizabeth’s I, famous time quote

“All my possessions for a moment of time.”

She went on to recite the following quotes:

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you” from Carl Sandburg.

 

“If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves “by Maria Edgeworth.

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I reflected for a moment, and my thoughts were dominated by two big ideas.

• The speed of change continues at an unrelenting pace.

• The future is filled with uncertainty.

Dickens’ time quote echoes in my head?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

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How will you make 2009 the best of times?

I will be profiling ideas, folks, and institutions setting big goals in 2009.

I need your input to help me set some priorities.

Click here to see the big 2009 challenges

as I see them, and provide your input or additional options.

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United and  networked, we will not only survive,we can thrive!

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Extra Ordinary Jamaicans Gifts.

God Bless You Everyone!

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On the twelfth day of Christmas an extra ordinary Jamaican gave to me:

The Promise of Hope.

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Hope has several promising elements. These are:

1. A high spirit
2. A drive to succeed
3. And an unrelenting optimism

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This Christmas season, I wish that all Jamaicans be blessed with a heavenly hope that will fill them with a special joy and peace.

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Scott Jamieson

9th Grader in first year of High School

 Favorite Jamaican food – Kola Champane

 Avid Basketball fan of Hornets & huge Chris Paul fan

What Christmas hope will you share for Jamaica?

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On the eleventh day of Christmas an extra ordinary Jamaican gave to me:

The belly tickling sensation of Laughter.

Click now to listen

 Can a laugh every day keep the heart attack away?

Maybe so!

It has been reported that laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect against a heart attack.

Check out the full article at heart article

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Raymond ‘Nello’ Nelson

The Ultimate MC/Comedian (Mr. Clean)

He performs at all of your special occasions

doublelineinc@aol.com

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On the tenth day of Christmas, an extra ordinary Jamaican gave to me:

Generosity is the voluntary and consistent giving of one’s time and resources to help others.  When I share my time and resources with others I feel I am accomplishing my purpose in life.  It is not an inherent trait; it is a learned trait, a pattern of behavior that is nurtured in the personality and is demonstrated in various ways of giving to others.

A child is born selfish, all for himself. He has to be taught by his parents and others to be kind and loving to others, including his younger brothers and sisters.

I am fortunate to have grown up in the presence of a Grandmother who was a very kind and loving person and who was always reaching out to help others in the community, she taught me to be kind and loving to other people and in her own words,“God will bless you my son.”

I can truly say that giving to others is psychologically and spiritually rewarding to the giver.

The world would be a much better place if there were more voluntary givers.

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Professor Donald Morgan

President of Jamaica Volunteers Association INC.

based in Washington DC

A charitable, non-profit, tax-exempt organization

Providing generosity for 25 years and counting

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How will you continue to build the legacy of volunteering in Jamaica?

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On the ninth day of Christmas, an extra ordinary Jamaican gave to me:

the grandeur of vision

Vision is not only important but a necessity! Vision allows you to think big and strategically. Vision also teaches you to be patient because it takes time. Vision is what makes Dreams a reality.

Vision is what makes life worth living even if life falls short. Without Vision, I would not be who I am, where I am, and I would not have dared to do the impossible. Vision makes things simple, while emotion makes things complicated.

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“Vision is one of life’s greatest assets!”

Captain Barrington Irving, C.D.

Youngest person, and only Jamaican to fly around the world solo

Pilot Irving’s Blog

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On the eight day of Christmas, an extra ordinary Jamaican gave to me:

The respect of listening.

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Click to listen

Jamaicans have always valued listening.  This is rooted in our strong oral tradition which has created good listeners of us especially in the area of story telling.  We love to listen to Anancy stories, duppy stories, Bible stories, and any story, true or false.  Therefore, we are convinced that listening is undoubtedly one of our greatest personal natural resources. Yet, it is by far one of our most underdeveloped abilities.  We need keener listening skills as we move into a multi-cultural world that is driven by collaboration, trust, and networking.   People skills have risen to the top of important skills in the new economy.   Yet, with all these listening demands, we teach our children only to read, write, and speak, but make no deliberate effort to teach them to listen. 

Not listening costs, and most are not even aware of the reasons for the penalty.  Not listening costs, because it devalues the speaker, creates an atmosphere of disrespect, promotes illness, and is the cause of many forms of violence. On the other hand, listening is rewarding.  It is healing, profitable, motivational, and, above all, it sends a strong message to the speaker that, “you are valued and respected.   We have not listened well and we have paid the penalty.  As we gather with friends and family to celebrate this festive season, let us elevate listening to the place where it is practiced regularly and deliberately. 

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 Wait a minute! Just before the Christmas music strikes or the storytelling begins, let us take a moment to reflect and be prepared to model to the next generation these five principles of listening.

•  1. Pay attention.  Stay with the speaker and listen wholeheartedly with an open mind. 
• 2. Be patient. Listening takes time but the reward far exceeds the investment. 
• 3. Hold your tongue.  Don’t be too quick to interrupt others, to tell your story, or to give unsolicited advice.
• 4. Lead out.  Be a listening role model.  Proactive listening is a particularly high expectation of effective leaders, managers, parents, and educators.
•   5. Listen quickly. Be a ready listener.  “Dearly beloved, let every man be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.  James 1:19.

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 ’Tis the season to be listening – Fa la la la la la la la la

Showing you care is better than spending -  Fa la la la la la la la la

Taking time to truly listen – Fa la la la la la la la la
Make peace and joy our New Year’s mission – Fa la la la la la la la la!!!

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However you celebrate, wherever you celebrate, and whoever you celebrate with, we wish you a season filled with joy, gratitude, peace, respect and most of all, LISTENING! 

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Marva Shand-McIntosh , Listening Institute founder 

I love to Listen Day – May 16th.

This international day of listening is celebrated  in over 20 countries.

Listening website

How will you practice this gift with a family member?

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On the Seventh day of Christmas, an extra ordinary Jamaican gave to me:

The embracing gift of diversity.

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Growing up in Jamaica I was exposed to diversity in my home, in my church and my school. My Grandmother was a great cook and her passion for cooking and love for people has impacted my life greatly. My desire to share my heritage through food I owe all to her.Our Jamaican motto “out of many one people” was a true reflection of my environment.

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Moving to New York, the great big melting pot, I was surprise to find that there were so many people who are clannish and afraid to step out of their box to embrace cultural and ethnic differences. I am very thankful for my universal spirit. I am always open to learning new things and meeting different people.

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My world is a much bigger place with wonderful people of different cultures in my life.

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I have a very diverse group of good friends, from Demark, Colombia, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Korea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and the Caribbean, with whom I have shared cultures, food, music and life experiences These connections have led me produce and host “Michele’s Island Kitchen”. This cooking show explores the diversity in Virginia and the DC metro Area.  My guests bring their varied styles and cultures, and we have a great time sharing our experiences.The program can be viewed as follows:

• 3rd. Tuesday of each month at noon & 8:30 pm.

• 4th. Friday of each month at 10:30 am.

• The TV channel is Fairfax public access, Virginia, channel 10.

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So, as we reflect on this past year full of challenges and changes, let us take a moment to look within ourselves and determine how we will make a difference in the coming year by extended ourselves to our neighbors regardless of our differences.  Remember our neighbor is not only those where we live, but everywhere we go.

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There’s a beautiful world waiting to be discovered, it begins with you and me.

Michele Bailey

Entrepeneur

“Building bridges and uniting cultures.”

Best Island Treats website

How will you share the warmth of Jamaica with a non-Jamaican this season?

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