The distinguished author Og Mandino, now deceased, developed the phrase “live each day in a day-tight compartment.” His opinion was to seal yourself in a day-tight compartment so that you will live only for this day and its allotted work.

Mr. Mandino thought the heavy load of yesterday’s problems and the concerns of tomorrow will befoul your thinking today. It will dilute your immediate creative powers to solve today’s problems and workaday activities. Yesterday and tomorrow doesn’t exist. Get rid of them from your mind.

If we live each day in a day-tight compartment we work only on those things that should be done today. We worry about today’s concerns and in so doing the outcome will improve.

Would you want a highly specialized surgeon operating on your brain and thinking about last night’s poker game? Of course not!

Yesterday does have some redeeming qualities. We learn from the mistakes and successes of our yesterdays. Yesterday’s are memories and we cherish these if they are pleasant and learn from failures.

The thought of our tomorrow develops hope that better days for another chance to improve and succeed will present itself. Hope, after all, is item most of us lean upon, revel in and find comfort.

Everyone, at times, has a deep desire to write a book. The next thought usually is, “what would it be about?” The question becoms so puzzling that writing a book becomes a secondary thought and our minds slide to something less taxing.

While writing a book isn’t the easiest thing to accomplish it can be tremendously fulfilling. To achieve fulfillment one must have a “vehicle.” The vehicle in a book or public presentation (speech) is a subject the writer or speaker is passionate about. To a teen it might be visions of sex. A grandmother might be passionate about knitting. If you like some types of shrubbery why not write about that, for example, and allow the shrub to propel your passion? Maybe you like lilies? If you do, paint a picture in the reader’s mind so obsessive of the lily that you can, at least, hold the readers interest to finish your book. This is also the secret to an outstanding public presentation. Passion for your vehicle!

After all, if you can’t hold the reader, or listeners interest you can’t be successful. If you can’t be successful, why waste your time?

Like it or not Americans live today in a global economy.  Moreover, if we communicate with those who live among us and execute business overseas we must use a global language. 

Today’s leadership is in an untenable position in that we have cultures from every corner of the world living in our society and attending our schools.  While many of these children cannot speak English, in most cases they rapidly learn to compete in our country.  Yet, few students in our society can visualize the need to be conversant in more than one foreign language.  Most of us, in fact, cannot speak English correctly.

Think of this problem from the American perspective.  Our schools, in increasing numbers, are being depleted by not teaching our students those subjects, including other languages, they should be aware of.  Perhaps for many reasons, one among which, is the unattractiveness of our teachers pay scale to entice those with the ability to educate students to compete in a global language society.  Young adults must be lead in ways to bring non-white, non-Anglo and non-male employees into the circles of prosperity and leadership.

People from other nations and cultures are blending into the American fabric.  This in addition to the necessity of our broad based society should initiate each of us to embrace the global market.

Regardless of your opinion of additional languages and foreign trade to remain afloat, communications is an international language in today’s society.  It is up to each of us to pursue our dreams just don’t allow them to be too narrow.

Our ancestors settling the west were frightened by every  crook and turn. Through perseverance they were able to find the “promised land” for us.  If we don’t seize the opportunity to enlarge ourselves tomorrow brings us the down fall that could be no one’s fault but ours.

Today’s world, in many respects, mirrors the Great Depression.  Items like bank and business failures, rising transportation costs, the increasing homeless population and its affect upon the family unity in many and varied ways.  The value of family is fading fast as everyone watches.

What must it have been like living through the Gread Depression?  Could the world as we know it today become the same or worse?

One familiar story, as recounted in the book Bath Pond is set in April 1933.  It is a wedding.  The setting is a small one-room country church that sat atop a sandy knoll nestled comfortably within a group of scrub oaks.

Though home-made the bride, an orphan, is wearing the first new dress she ever owned.  The groom wears a faded suit.  The couple started with nothing but $15.33 and friends galore.  Friends were their greatest asset second only to the love the young couple shared.

Thos attending were clean cut with old worn clothing.  They came by wagon, horseback and afoot.  Their dogs followed scrapping with each other finally cooling themselves under the church.

From this meager beginning the young couple began their lives with a few gifts and a will to work out a living.  An old couple, whose tenant house they rented, helped them along.  The bottom line is they became extremely wealthy and gave it all away to those less fortunate in the end.

Charles H. Bronson, Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture stated, “Florida’s first settlers were rugged, adventurous souls, men and women willing to claw a meager living from marginal land largely uninhabited, save the Seminoles.  Without question, those who paid the price with sweat toil and determination would look with envy to what has been transformed on the foundation they established.”

But the paramount question, would today’s population be willing to pay the same price as early settlers?  You answer the question.  From my vantage point of age, I say no.  Early settlers were willing to work first for an asset.  Today the average Americans want unnecessary items now!

Is buy now, pay later the problem?

How Will You Continue to Compete?

 Today’s economy requires more than the offer of a quality product with unsurpassed service.  Life is rushed, it can be brutal.  Everyone has problems, mostly financial.

Success requires building personal relationships, marketing relationships!

Think about an unexpected gift with a heartfelt message from you after the sale.  The message from you is the key.

The message inside a G-rated award-winning Florida book from The BATH POND Series is the perfect inexpensive acknowledgment.  The message inside will be a valuable customer-recognition marketing tool that encourages repeat and referral trade.  Steady clients are like money in the bank.

The gift is to intensify your message in the deepest sense.  Keep ‘em happy!  The typical happy customer will tell three friends about you.  This kind of advertising influences people to buy from you.  Unhappy customers, on average, will tell nine or ten friends.  It is tough to overcome negative comments from anyone.

Using our value-packed marketing tool you can expect:

-no upfront inventory costs (we inventory and fulfill your individual shipments)

-no shipping and handling (it is effortless for you)

-no storage costs (just postage and sales tax)

BEST OF ALL: Volume Discounts            

-up to 25 books -        20% discount-

-26 to 100 books -       25% discount -

-101-200 books -        30% discount -

-201-300 books -       35% discount-             

-over 300 books -       40% discount

The offer is open to every member of your organization and the discounts are cumulative.  Your company will be invoiced monthly for each book purchased.

To begin your marketing relationship program simply telephone 407-257-5106, go online to www.LowellTeal.com or email Lowell@LowellTeal.com or LowellTeal@AOL.com  FAX-407-876-0524

Let’s get acquainted and talk.  We can help you! 

CONTACT:  Lowell Teal, Author

                       The BATH POND Series

                       12077 McKinnon Road

                        Windermere, FL 34786

There are times when living appears hopeless.  Nothing is going well.  We have more bills than money.  Our families are growing and each member wants something that costs money we don’t have.  What’s to live for?

If we are not thinking as we should life itself becomes’ money.  When we fail at providing everything that is expected, we begin to seek personal pursuits that sometimes are to the detriment of everyone in the family, ourselves included.

The remedy is to begin thinking and doing good things for other people.  When you do this anonymously there is a “feel good” feeling that is difficult to explain.  It has been said, “A candle loses nothing by lighting another.”

Here is a thought to ponder in the quiet hours of the night.  When we approach life’s end and we are aware we have only moments left to live, what are our real possessions?  Deeply studying this question, and if we answer it appropriately, we have only three things:

• the strength of our faith
• the love of our family, and
• the depth of our friendships

All those things we thought important in life may not be.  Riches, fame and everything we worked so hard for might be unimportant in the final analysis.  We sometimes don’t recognize our true riches until it’s too late.

The clumsy little fat boy tries in vain to keep pace with his Dad entering the local hamburger counter for lunch.  An open-faced little fellow, a portrait of innocence, sporting a new haircut freshly combed.  His face polished to a high shine exposing full rosy cheeks, and excited about the thoughts of lunch too!

Leaving the counter loaded with food, native instinct takes change.  The timid look changes to one of confidence and command, his stride from a graceless stumble to a quick “sure-footed” trot.

Simple contentment glows as he bites into the hamburger.  Each bite creates more enjoyment developing a face filled with satisfaction and peace.

The personal treasure that comes with remembering a kid at lunch, the elderly or needy is private and beyond measured value.  Unselfishly remembering others weakens their frutstrations and failures bringing to the surface very necessary feelings of personal worth and usefulness.

Do yourself a kindness…take a kid to lunch and allow yourself to experience the enjoyment, anonymously!

The older folks in today’s generation speak of “the good ole’days.”  Some say they yearn for those years and others say they want no part of the early days of their lives when financial hard times included everyone.

Of course, for most of this older generation “the good ole’ days” are those of the late 1920’s and early 30’s, the Great Depression.  Those who carefully study the early 30’s recognize that history does repeat itself.  If repeat isn’t the appropriate word, then “similarities” must exist.

Today’s world has many, many parallels to the hard times of the 30’s.  During my youth, I thought Geneva, Alabama; Dublin, Georgia; Enterprise, Alabama and other southern towns and cities had to be large cities.  Almost every person moving to central Florida during the time was from one of these cities. My problem was that my youth shaded the truth about their moving to our Florida.  They certainly were not tourists.  They were looking for no more than food, shelter and a way to take care of their family.

The reason most of us living during all, or part, of this time didn’t realize the gravity of the situation was because we were all in the same circumstances.  Everyone was broke financially yet no one realized it.  When the basics are met after going without, just being able to live again is good.

Most of these families coming to Florida had heard of the possibility of employment.  Since most had lost their farms or places of business to the banks for lack of payment they were desperate.  When their homes went they were in the street unless other family members could provide for them.  Most couldn’t!

Agriculture in Florida was in its infancy compared to today.  The pioneers had gotten their act together to the point that they could provide shelter and food but little else.  If these two necessities were met the promise of money when it came in was all that was necessary for most people.  There were vegetable garden plots available on the farms, farm animals for meat and wild game was plentiful.  In addition, the lakes were filled with fish and the oceans were not far away and easily accessible.  Life was better.

When I reach the young adult stage and traveled to some of these places all the farm workers of my youth were from, I understood why they left.  There wasn’t any was to live honorably for most of those who had lost everything to the banks.  The took whatever they had and started the journey south.

Some walked, some hitchhiked while others began the journey in worn out vehicles.  Many times groups of families traveled together.  These were good people, honorable and a product of the hard times.

Take a look at today.  Homes are being foreclosed upoon.  Businesses are failing.  Corporate America is downsizing and countless thousands are losing their livelihood and they are desperate.  Foreign labor is presently taking the forefront in the marketplace.  Single mothers are enduring severe hardship attempting to raise their families.  Education is not where it should be for these folks.  Social services are taking the incentives from young Americans.  Yet these are also good people looking for food, shelter and a place to lay their head.  Tragically, there are few farms in Florida today to seek refuge

Similarities between the depression years and today are very well recognizable.

Actually, history does repeat itself!

Altruism is a “big scary” word! Yet, its meaning is simple. It means contributing to the well-being of others financially or a private favor. This is one of the world’s greatest feel-good emotions. The real key to this kind of “high” is to do it anonymously. Seeking personal praise devalues the effort.

Can you imagine the joy filling the heart of a senior citizen sorely in need of funds for medicine or groceries only to find an anonymous donor has come to the rescue? The donor here is the real winner.

Substance has responsibility. If one is possessed with financial resources, regardless of origin, yes this is an asset. However, with this asset comes responsibility. The responsibility is not to give it all away, but to be mindful of the needs of others and respond.

Assist another “anonymously” and it will feel good in your heart! It will feel so good others will be sought to help in the same manner.

Helping others can become as infectious as the common cold.

Within the pages of Bath Pond, the book, the elderly benefactor tells the central character, a young man, “God promised to feed the birds, but he didn’t promise to put it into their nests.” These words, though simple, remain profound in today’s world. Profound since many who are able rely heavily on others or the government for the necessities. Have we had it too easy?

As depicted in Bath Pond, this simple statement became the spoken motto when the way was rough during the Great Depression. Each recited the words about feeding the birds and moved out to capture the prize.

The truth really speaks to all the opportunities we’ve allowed to slip from our grasp. An opportunity not captured is lost forever.

The lesson is simple. The first step is to begin, then grow from there. To accomplish any goal one must seize the good and reject the undesirable opportunities. Never wait on someone else to feed us. To be fed by others isn’t the answer.

The answer lies in helping others, anonymously. You then will be “fed” in abundance.

Lowell Teal, author of The Bath Pond Series, which includes Bath Pond, Fortunes Crossings and Inherited Journey lives in Windermere, FL and can be reached at LowellTeal@aol.com, or visit web site at http://www.LowellTeal.com