A Letter From Elton John

I personally took this picture of Elton John live on stage leaning over his piano during one of his final sold out performances at Caesars Palace here in Las Vegas. I’ll leave the story as to why I was standing on stage with Elton in the middle of one of his concerts for another day.

However, what I wanted to show you is a side of Elton John that most people never get to see. We all know him as the crazy, over the top hit maker. But few know him as I do. He is kind, generous, caring, compassionate and one of the most sincere people I have ever met. Yes, he is a “Diva” and has his moments which are legendary. But when he believes in something or someone, you will never find a greater friend.

What you are about to read is profound. A personal letter from Elton written to a young boy long gone that has touched the lives of millions. Including my own. Elton has said that it was Ryan White who turned his own life around.

Top 5 Instant Stress Relievers

Here are five instant stress relievers, in no particular order…

1. Humor—Simple but foolproof. If you can poke a bit of fun at your stressful situation or your reaction to it, you’ll find you can diffuse a lot of the tension. If you can’t, Google some jokes and find one or two that tickle your funny bone.
2. Music—Studies have shown that listening to music that mirrors a depressed mood actually can lift a person out of symptoms of depression. However, when overloaded and stressed out, it is best to listen to whatever music you find soothing. If it has a slow beat (with or without percussion), even better. The beat will entrain your heart and slow down your pulse! Five minutes ought to do the trick.

Top 5 Online Dating Tips

A lot of my callers have asked about online dating. They want to know how safe it is and also how efficient it is in finding a true match. Well, the truth is that no website can ever truly and honestly guarantee a match will be made. However, there are certain steps that you can take to protect yourself if you choose to post a profile online in hopes of finding that someone special. Here are the top five tips to help you make the most of your online dating experience.

How do you live with Stress?

I just started writing my calendar for the next three months. It should cause panic because there wasn’t enough lines for all the to-dos. But I’m not freaking out or having tunnel vision. My palms aren’t sweaty and my heart isn’t racing. My life should feel like a roller coaster right? No, I’m not on prescription medication. The focus has to change how I love with stress. It’s a challenge each and every day to balance life today. As I speak to families across America, families are struggling. There are so many factors that we feel “have to make us happy.” And when we don’t have “it” then we are unhappy, stressed, anxious, and so much more. The best way I can related our lives is we want to live a movie of happiness.

Moving Beyond “Wishing” and “Waiting”

“Hopefully, things will get better in the future.”

Have you ever heard these words? Have you ever thought them? Have you ever said them?

Chances are, in one variation or another, you have.

Wishing and waiting for events to change and for our world to get better during cloudy moments is just human nature.

The “wishing for things to change” part?

That’s fine.

The “waiting for things to change” part?

Well, I don’t like that so much.

“Waiting for change” is passive. Waiting for a sign, for direction, for the go-ahead from a boss, friend, the government, whoever…it often leads to just more darn waiting. When we base our goals and future on someone else’s “Let’s see what happens” or “I’ll get back to you” agenda, we may end up waiting for the rest of our lives.

Best Relationship Advice

When I was on the Jane Pauley Show, during a commercial break, Jane leaned over to me and said “That is so true! I need to remember that in my own life!”

You wanna know what it was that I said?

I said, when you are about to take your final breath on this earth, it won’t be the money, cars, homes or material things that you think about.

It will be the relationships in your life.

You’ll think about relationships because they are among the most important treasures in all of existence.

So learning to develop great relationship skills truly is one of the most important investments you can make in your life.

Great relationships directly translates into a happier, more meaningful life. It means more positive things will come your way. More real friends, and even more money will all come as a result of learning how to develop the right relationship skills.

Think about it.

How To Cope With Being Passed Over For Promotion

Have you recently been passed over for promotion? Seeing a peer being offered advancement opportunities while your career seems stuck in a rut can be an unpleasant experience. This is especially true when you consider your skill set and commitment to be equal to (or better than) that of your promoted coworker. Coping with the emotional fall out of this situation requires objective self examination and good communication. Stressing out about your capabilities and worth isn’t effective either so the best thing to do is find out what happened and get feedback.

Talking to Your Boss

Storming into your manager’s office and demanding an explanation for why you weren’t chosen is a bad idea for obvious reasons. Someone who can’t stay in control of their emotions isn’t ready for additional responsibilities. On the other hand, trying to figure out “what went wrong” all on your own is a sure way to become paranoid and depressed. So, it is OK to talk to your boss about how the decision to promote a peer was reached – once you have calmed down. Here’s an example of a respectful way you can talk to your boss that may shed some light on what’s holding you back in terms of your career:

Children as Teachers – Part 2

Nurse Nancy Beck discovers great parenting advice for reducing stress and reducing fear by listening to her children as teachers. “Why does it matter?”

Elder Caregivers Need Policies and Benefits to Change with Times

Many of today’s workers are faced with a stressful caregiving situation as their parents become more and more dependent. Even if you don’t have an aging parent living with you, there’s a good chance you could be “on call”. Mom may fall and break her hip while she’s home alone; Dad might have a memory lapse and be found wandering the streets. As the emergency contact, you’re the one who is asked to come and sort things out.

If a health issue is ongoing, FMLA may kick in. This provides you with legally protected (but unpaid) leave to care for an ill family member if you work for a company with 50+ employees. However, when you pitch in to care for a mother or father in-law FMLA does not apply. So far, the law hasn’t caught up with the realities of elder caregiving. It’s up to employers to decide when and if emergency time off will be granted or if you will be fired for attendance violations.

Some Employers Have a Double Standard

Many employers seem to have a compassionate attitude about parents having to leave the office suddenly when a dependent child needs them. Part of this has to do with a wariness of being accused of discriminating against women. After all, it’s still usually Mom who gets the call to deal with a child-related emergency – even if both parents work.

However, employers don’t always view the elder caregiving relationship as a serious commitment. Apparently, they figure you can just get someone else to step in and take care of an emergent need. Unlike in the UK, there is currently no law protecting U.S. employees’ right to put family first in these situations. Employees can’t afford to wait for the law to catch up – they need to start negotiating for changes in the workplace now.

Contrarian Investing

Would you consider purchasing a fireplace in the peak of summer or an air conditioner in the dead of winter? Would you invest in a sale even if you did not have an immediate use for the product you are purchasing? Do you place value on the things you get at a discounted rate?

The summertime almost always presents an opportunity for people to invest. It is a quiet period because most individuals are focused on spending money and having fun. Businesses tend to slow down and they offer significant incentives to attract new clientele. Most companies are focused on maintaining relevance, marketing and promotions. It’s a great opportunity for networking and seeking out new relationships. Investment of time and money can produce great rewards if strategically planned.

As a singer, songwriter or other creative artist, the summertime is the best time to work on your visibility and ability to earn significant money promoting your ministry and/or product. While everyone else is vacationing, you should be working diligently making connections, attending events and yes, even selling your product out of the trunk of your car. Going into non-traditional places for exposure will give you a chance to book your calendar for the remainder of the year.

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