The Resolute Woman

Category: goals

  • Alva Vanderbilt’s definition of success

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    resolutewoman
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    Alva Vanderbilt thought that she was a very successful woman. Alva always had great ambitions for herself, explained Malcolm Gladwell, author of David and Goliath, recently in an Arts & Letters Live presentation in Dallas. She managed to marry William Vanderbilt, grandson of Cornelius, in 1875. However, even though the Vanderbilts were among the richest…

  • I cheated on Valentine’s

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    Yes, I admit that I cheated on Valentine’s Day. I bought my daughter, Mary Elizabeth, a book of beautiful poems called Dog Songs by Mary Oliver for a Valentine’s Day present, and I read the entire book before I gave it to her. This is the poem I liked best. Percy, Waiting for Ricky Your…

  • Doing what I’m not supposed to do

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    Recently I stopped in the hallway of the elementary school where I go once a week to help a third-grade student with her reading. Posted on the wall were the goals from the students in one class—things they were going to do and things they were not going to do. “Stop watching so much TV”…

  • Small victories

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    I appreciated the reminder about celebrating small victories. I found it one Saturday in my Weight Watcher newsletter. I had showed up early that morning, half asleep, because I had a long list of things to do after the meeting. I was reluctant to come. My goal had been to lose all the weight I…

  • Read a good book

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    Tonight, I’m going to sit on the sofa and read a book. Reading is good for you! Of course, I enjoy reading, and I already knew that reading is a good thing to do. However, I was pleased to read that “people who frequently read for pleasure are 52 percent less likely than reluctant readers…

  • Are your ducks in the water?

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    Too many of us spend too much time thinking about how we are going to get our ducks in a row, says Jane Pauley, author of a new book Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life. Sometimes doing something is more important than soul searching, Pauley explains. “Do you want your ducks in…

  • Persist and press on

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    If you made resolutions and you haven’t kept them, be resolute. Persist and press on! That’s advice from William Falk, editor-in-chief of The Week, writing in the January 17, 2014, issue of the magazine. “About 90 percent of resolutions fail, the experts tell us,” Falk says. “Human beings are, after all, a comically flawed species,…

  • Remember the larger reward

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    resolutewoman
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    When I go off my diet and eat two donuts for breakfast, I’m performing “temporal discounting.” Temporal discounting is the tendency to prefer a smaller reward now—like the pleasure of a couple of donuts—instead of waiting for the larger reward later—like being able to fit into the pants I bought last year. I found that…

  • Our New Year’s diet

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    We always make a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier. After the holidays is a good time to stock up on fruits and vegetables. As anonymous once said, “People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New…

  • Resolve to be happy

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    We’re going to follow Helen Keller’s advice and resolve to be happy during 2014. “Your success and happiness lies in you,” Helen Keller said. “Resolve to be happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.”