GOYA!

My neighbor in New York City is a very large, unhealthy, junk food addict. She works from home, so she rarely leaves her small apartment.

We New Yorkers live in the most convenient city in the word –- a city where you can have anything delivered, and my neighbor most certainly has everything delivered.

She even had an exercise ball delivered, which popped soon after she sat on it. She was disappointed not because it popped, but because she had hired somebody to blow it up for her and wasted the money.

Recently she adopted a scrappy looking dog. Dogs need to be taken for walks on a regular basis. Amazingly, my neighbor is doing this chore herself, and I think she may be dropping some pounds.

I saw her on the street the other day and had the following conversation:

Sandra O'Day: Hey Neighbor! Cute dog. What's his name?

Big Neighbor: I named him Goya.

Sandra O’Day: Because you like Goya beans and food products?

(Silence)

Big Neighbor: No. It’s an acronym. Goya stands for Get Off Your Ass.

Sandra O’Day: I’m stealing that from you.

Big Neighbor: Take it and run with it, O’Day.

Do it folks! G.O.Y.A.!

Is That A Jet in the River ...

... or are you just happy to see me?

Thanks to pilot Chelsey B. Sullenberger III for safely "ditching" in the Hudson River and not landing in the O’Day offices. Photos taken by my assistant from the office balcony.




What a neighborhood!

Avalanche of Upheaval

Hello O’Dayers! Greetings from the O’Day offices here in New York City, and boy-howdy has it been busy! 2009 has taken off like a rock rolling down a very steep hill, and there’s no trying to stop it. At first I was overwhelmed by all the new and challenging demands. I was even a little bit frightened that I wouldn’t be in control of my schedule and environment! But then I realized that I was playing the “Control Game!”

Folks, let’s face it. We can improve ourselves, set goals and work toward them, but sometimes our circumstances change. Appliances break down, people show up to stay with you for weeks on end, friends burst into flames. But it doesn’t mean you can’t continue to improve yourself, it just means you have to do so in a completely different environment in which you thought you’d be working.

Trouble starts when you think the events around you are an excuse to stop your self-improvement.

Cookies are not the answer! Skipping a vigorous workout routine is not the answer! Crawling under you bed and crying in the dust-bunnies is not the answer!

Embrace the change! Ride the snowy crest of the avalanche of upheaval –- otherwise you’re going to suffocate in the wet snow of resistance.

So for all of you tumbling head first into 2009 I say, “Ride it out, and ride into the New You!”

Happy Two Thousand and Fine!

Here we are, O’Dayers! Rolling into another year! And boy, it looks like it will be a real adventure. Two thousand and eight went out with a whirlwind of scandal. Between money trouble on Wall Street, the economy crashing like a lead balloon in a hurricane and the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, we didn’t know which way to turn. Seems the minute we checked our backs for knives someone was pitching horseshoes at our faces.

I remember looking down at my investment statements for one second, saw my money was gone, and looked up to see bankers and CEOs lining up for a government handout. Is Washington a soup kitchen, now?! When did that happen?!

“Oh, boo hoo, boo hoo, nobody will buy the crappy cars I make! Wahhh – Wahhh.”

Let’s get a grip right now, people.

Yes, times are going to be tough. That means we have to keep our chins up and keep plugging, not roll over and whine and kick the air like spoiled fat children.

We made this bed together. So let’s TAKE ACTION right now. It’s time to roll out of our dirty bed, do the laundry and when the bed is made again let’s make it a point not to sleep with people who tell us we can spend three times what we earn. Let’s not hop into the sack with liars just because they act folksy. Let’s remember people’s names and take numbers. It's called responsibility, and it's time to invest in it.

Let's invest in MAKING our dreams come true. No more wishing on stars. Wishing on stars is for lazy animated crickets! Besides, stars are millions of light years away! Why put your dreams off for millions of light years?! Let’s put on our MAKE and TAKE some action!

You can do it, I can help you.

Happy New Year!

www.sandraoday.com
PowerofSandra@aol.com