Chasing Rainbows

Thought for the Day

"A strong positive attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug."  (Patricia Neal)

Obsolete Word of the Day

DIBBLE - To drink like a duck, lifting up the head after each sip.

Fact for the Day

Today is the birthday of Long Distance. The first long distance phone call was made between Boston and New York. Also the first telephone in the White House was installed on this date in 1929.

Learn to Burn Brightly--Not Burnout

In a post on a blog called "Simple Truths," I found an article regarding maximizing our energy level.  It was written by Jim Cathart and he states that in order to manage our energy we need to find the pace at which we perform best. This is the "zone" at which we are most creative, unstressed, happy, and productive. He defines the "zones" as follows:

Above The Zone:

First you experience stress and frustration, then anxiety, and finally burnout. At this level you are overwhelming yourself with too many things to accomplish at one time. Lighten up a bit to get back on track.

In The Zone:

You are at your best. Not stressed, going with the flow of work naturally, productive and self assured, challenged but not overwhelmed, motivated and able to roll with problems.

Below The Zone:

First you experience boredom, then apathy, and finally depression. You feel useless and artificial; self-esteem suffers. Bite off more and take greated challenges to get back on track.

Finally, protecting and replensihing your emotional energy is critical for every leader. Mira Kirshenbaum, in her book The Emotional Energy Factor, offers a refreshing, down-to-earth approach:

First you plug the leaks: learn to recognize what drains your energy…life situations, toxic people, or habits such as worry, indecision, or guilt. Second, you identify what fills your tank - pleasure, solitude, anticipation, or fun - and give yourself more.

Resource:  Mondays with Mac: Burn Brightly Without Burning Out, posted March 24th, 2008 Simple Truths.com

Thought for the Day

In keeping with our Fact of the Day:  "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."  (Robert Frost)

Obsolete Word of the Day

PREANTEPENULTIMATE - Fourth from last. (that's a mouthful!)

Fact for the Day

Today is the birthday of Robert Frost. On the birthday of Robert Lee Frost, the great New England poet, we celebrate all poets, especially good ones. (Like Shadow of Diogenes)

Today in History: In Vogue

On March 26, 1874, publisher Condé Nast was born. A successful advertising executive for Collier's, he introduced the concept of "class publications" or "lifestyle magazines." While other publishers focused on circulation numbers, Nast targeted groups of readers by income level or common interest. Nast purchased Vogue in 1909 and House and Garden in 1913. In 1914, he introduced Vanity Fair. Each publication explored current trends in fashion, the arts, politics, and entertainment.

While few can afford the clothing displayed on the pages of Vogue, Americans traditionally uphold the right to dress as fashionably as possible. In his essay "Are Women Natural Aristocrats?," Thomas Wentworth Higginson recalls a British minister's wife who prescribed plain dress for the "lower classes." He contrasts her view with the American position on personal adornment:

"The American clergyman and clergyman's wife who should even "recommend" such a costume to a schoolmistress, church-singer, or Sunday-school girl,-to say nothing of the rest of the "lower orders,"-would soon find themselves without teachers, without pupils, without a choir, and probably without a parish The Sunday bonnet of the Irish damsel is only the symbol of a very proper effort to obtain her share of all social advantages. Long may those ribbons wave!"

Traditionally, maintaining a stylish appearance is a burden that falls more heavily on women. Writing to her future husband, Alexander Graham Bell, in 1877 Mabel Hubbard jested:

"You gentlemen have no idea how much trouble and weariness it costs only to get the material for the dresses you so much admire. I had no idea how much the bright dresses of women relieve our sombre streets. We went down to the part of the city devoted exclusively to the men, where women never come, and such a shabby dull looking affairs the men were. I should think they would get sick of their own society."

As Mabel Hubbard noted, in our culture the female tends to be more a colorful dresser than the male. Yet, men hardly ignore the latest styles as these photographs amply demonstrate. The young western dudes pictured below were no doubt proud of their glossy fur coats which made a fashion statement in addition to protecting against frigid North Dakota winters.

Resource:  Library of Congress, American Memory, March 26th 

Thought for the Day

I have learned that every man lives not through care of himself, but by love.  (Leo Tolstoy)

Obsolete Word of the Day

Durst – Dare; to have the necessary boldness or courage for something.