Stan is dead on accurate with his take on youth and player development. Watch this video...and pass it on to your youth coaches. If you are a coach...please listen closely to his words around "winning" Get the Fun back into playing sports!!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Why Most Kids Quit Sports
Why Most Kids Quit Sports
by Carleton Kendrick Ed.M., LCSW
Twenty million kids register each year for youth hockey, football, baseball, soccer, and other competitive sports. The National Alliance for Sports reports that 70 percent of these kids quit playing these league sports by age 13 -- and never play them again.
According to Michael Pfahl, executive director of the National Youth Sports Coaches Association, "The number one reason (why they quit) is that it stopped being fun." With figures like these, it's time we rethink how we present youth sports to kids.
With that in mind, here are some key points to remember about your kids playing sports.
Preschool
Focus on the element of play in any sports activity you introduce to very young kids. Make it fun! Don't burden them or concern them with competition, keeping score, and rules. Get them running, kicking, throwing, catching ... and laughing. Use equipment that suits their bodies and coordination levels (toss a beanbag instead of a ball). Adapt games according to their abilities. Always offer encouraging words for all their efforts.
Elementary school
Sports psychology expert Rick Wolff, author of Good Sports, stresses that parents of kids ages 5-12 need not be concerned with their child's excellence at such refined sports skills as corner kicks and drag bunts. "Those are unimportant," Wolf advises. "The key here is having your child develop a sense of passion for the sport."
Parents and coaches need to be aware of what kids can accomplish at their differing developmental levels -- physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. Don't make unrealistic expectations concerning your child's sports performance -- be it in the area of muscle coordination, dedication, or attention span. Many kids lose their passion for youth sports during these years because they feel they can't live up to their parents' and coaches' expectations.
Middle school
Kids start dropping out in big numbers at this stage. Playing sports loses its enjoyment for them and "fun" takes a back seat to winning. Pick-up games and just "playing for fun" should be encouraged. The key at this vulnerable stage is to keep them playing the sports they enjoy -- if not on school or youth teams, then informally with friends. Not being on a team does not mean they have failed as athletes. It just means that they have to find other pleasurable ways to continue enjoying their sports.
High school
By this stage, it's usually the successful high-school athletes who play both school sports and outside competitive-league sports. There are just so many positions to be filled on competitive teams. But what about kids who still love to play sports but can't because of their demanding academic, social, and work lives? Parents need to remind these kids of the fun they had playing these games and help them to find time to play them with family members and friends. Helping your kids stay connected to the sports they love now can encourage them to remain physically active throughout their lives.
The Size Of Our World!!!
The Size Of Our World
The source for this material is unknown
It was submitted without attribution
6-22-6
Duane's Business Tip of the Day for September 30
Your initial success in sales will be
in direct proportion to the quality and quantity of the presentations you give.
Think about it.
Duane's Positive Quote of the Day for September 30
There are obviously two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live.
-- James Truslow Adams
To a Child, Love is Spelled T-I-M-E
To a Child, Love is Spelled...
An excerpt from
To a Child, Love is Spelled T-I-M-E
by Mac Anderson
In the faint light of the attic, an old man, tall and stooped, bent his great frame and made his way to a stack of boxes that sat near one of the little half-windows. Brushing aside a wisp of cobwebs, he tilted the top box toward the light and began to carefully lift out one old photograph album after another. Eyes once bright but now dim searched longingly for the source that had drawn him here.
It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was a photo of her he hoped to rediscover. Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his present aloneness.
Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown son's childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal. Why did Elizabeth always save the children's old junk? he wondered, shaking his white head.
Opening the yellowed pages, he glanced over a short reading, and his lips curved in an unconscious smile. Even his eyes brightened as he read the words that spoke clear and sweet to his soul. It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this very house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the years. In the utter silence of the attic, the words of a guileless six-year-old worked their magic and carried the old man back to a time almost totally forgotten.
Entry after entry stirred a sentimental hunger in his heart like the longing a gardener feels in the winter for the fragrance of spring flowers. But it was accompanied by the painful memory that his son's simple recollections of those days were far different from his own. But how different?
Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his business activities over the years, he closed his son's journal and turned to leave, having forgotten the cherished photo that originally triggered his search. Hunched over to keep from bumping his head on the rafters, the old man stepped to the wooden stairway and made his descent, then headed down a carpeted stairway that led to the den.
Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and pulled out an old business journal. Turning, he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. His was leather-bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son's was tattered and the name Jimmy had been nearly scuffed from its surface. He ran a long skinny finger over the letters, as though he could restore what had been worn away with time and use.
As he opened his journal, the old man's eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words:
Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy.
Didn't catch a thing.
With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy's journal and found the boy's entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters, pressed deeply into the paper, read:
Went fishing with my Dad. Best day of my life.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
home prices up, but growth rate slows
Home prices up, but growth rate slows
By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com
September 28, 2010
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Home prices have risen for five straight months, but the rate of growth has slowed, according to an industry report released Tuesday.
Prices inched up 0.6% in July compared with June, according to S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index. On a year-over-year basis, prices rose 3.2% compared with July 2009.
Experts polled by Briefing.com had forecast a year-over-year rise of 3.3%. S&P's 10-city index has gained 4.1% over that period.
The weak readings reveal the ongoing strife in housing markets. Sales of both new and existing homes are well below the the standards set during the housing boom years. New home sales have been running at or near record lows.
"Anyone looking for home prices to return to the lofty 2005-2006 levels might be disappointed," said David Blitzer, spokesman for Standard and Poors. "Judging from the recent behavior of the housing market, stable prices seem more likely."
Half the 20 cities have recorded gains over the past year, led by San Francisco, where prices have risen by 11.2%.
Las Vegas is the only market to have hit a new low during July. Prices there fell 0.8% from a month earlier and were down 4.9% from 12 months ago. The loss from the price peak, set in August 2006, was 57%.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Most Interesting Man In Real Estate
The Most Interesting Man In Real Estate
You’ve heard his ads on the radio or seen him on TV, he’s Dos Equis’ most interesting man in the world. Their campaign is brilliant and their sales are through the roof. Recently, on Twitter, I came across interestingRE – the most interesting man in Real Estate. I thought it was very funny… maybe you will too… Here are a few of his “tweets.”
- He once delayed a contract negotiation just to see what it felt like to have a listing on the market for more than a day.
- The food at his open houses doesn’t come from a title company or lender. It comes from Le Cordon Bleu.
- In his spare time, he coded his own IDX solution.
- The best views in his neighborhood are the ones overlooking his house.
- His clients don’t need pre-qual letters. He just attaches a note that reads, “They’re good for it. Trust me.” and signs it.
- You could buy a ticket to witness his listing presentation, if they weren’t sold out all the time.
- His real estate license has reciprocity with the entire galaxy, just in case.
- His MLS still prints one copy of the MLS book so they can send it to him, for nostalgia.
- Don’t worry about inviting him to your Memorial Day party. If it’s good enough, he’ll know about it.
- He has a signed listing agreement for the International Space Station once they stop using it.
- He was invited to the White House, but declined when he discovered they wouldn’t sign a listing agreement.
- He never complains about his NAR dues, because NAR pays him for the pleasure of his membership.
- When he gets a contract on a short sale, the bank calls him for approval.
- He once negotiated a house down to FREE.
- Ever have a listing that you thought would NEVER sell, but it sold right away? You can thank him when you see him.
- If he were to mail a pre-listing packet without any postage, it would still get there
- All real estate trainers attend his seminars
He is… the most interesting man in real estate
Evolution of the Human Race! (Humor)
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Financial Planning Humor
Financial planning....
Dan was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business.
When he found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sickly father died, he decided he needed to find a wife with whom to share his fortune. One evening, at an investment meeting, he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away "I may look like just an ordinary guy," he said to her, "but in just a few years, my father will die and I will inherit $200 million." Impressed, the woman asked for his business card and three days later, she became his stepmother.
Some..... Women are so much better at financial planning than men.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Duane's Positive Quote Collection on "Belief"
“Whatever you believe with emotion becomes reality. You always act in a manner consistent with your innermost beliefs and convictions.” —Brian Tracy
“Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret—curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”
—Walt Disney
“If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won’t, you most assuredly won’t. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.” —Denis Waitley
“One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine with only interests.” —John Stuart Mill
“If you believe you can, and believe it strongly enough, you’ll be amazed at what you can do.” —Nido Qubein
“He can who thinks he can, and he can’t who thinks he can’t. This is an inexorable, indisputable law.”
—Henry Ford
“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” —William James
“Your belief determines your action and your action determines your results, but first you have to believe.” —Mark Victor Hansen
“If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. The thing is to get the work done.” —Dale Carnegie
“If you don’t think you can do it, who will? You control the most important tool in success, your mind.”
—Jeffrey Gitomer
The Secret of Time by Jeff Olson
The Secret of Time by Jeff Olson
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
—William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
So you walk a little today, get your heart rate up a bit, you lift a few weights, you eat a little differently, then tomorrow morning you wake up and look in the mirror... and see the same old flubber. You have to be pretty well along the path to see any significant results. What keeps you doing this simple thing, day after day?
Willpower! It's like my dad (mom, teacher, boss, older brother, minister, self) always told me... I just need more willpower.
Really? I don't think so. (A friend of mine used to say that people on diets who complain that they lack willpower are usually suffering more from a lack of won't power!) Willpower is vastly overrated. For most people, willpower ends up looking and feeling like some sort of grim self-tyranny, and involves creating an elaborate, artificial reward-and-punishment system.
Do you want to change? If so, I can show you how to tap into the most powerful force for change there is. Would you like to know what it is? Are you ready? Here it is: TIME.
Position your daily actions so time is working for you instead of against you. Because time will either promote you or expose you.
What keeps you on the path is your Slight Edge philosophy, which includes your understanding of the secret of time. Knowing the secret of time, you say: If I stay on this road long enough, I'll get the result I seek. It's not a question of your mood, your feeling or your attitude. And it's not a question of willpower. It's a question of simply knowing.
When you enter a darkened room, why does your hand reach out for the light switch? Because you know that when you hit the switch, the light will go on. You don't have to give yourself positive self-talk about how you really ought to hit that light switch, or set up a system of rewards and punishments for yourself around whether you follow through or not with hitting the light switch. You don't need any rigmarole; you just hit the switch. Why? Because you know what will happen.
You know.
It's the exact same thing here; you walk a little every day, lift a few weights, eat a little better, and leave the penny in the purse (hit the light switch) because you know it will make you healthy and wealthy (the light will turn on).
It's the exact same thing, no different—except for one thing, and that is time.
House Bill Would Force Lenders to Decide on Short Sales in 45 Days
The legislation would impose a deadline on lenders to respond to short sale requests, requiring them to return an answer to the borrower within 45 days.
The bipartisan bill, Prompt Decision for Qualification of Short Sale Act of 2010 (H.R. 6133), is sponsored by Reps. Robert Andrews (D-New Jersey) and Tom Rooney (R-Florida).
Lenders have taken a lot of heat for the elongated timelines it takes to get an approval on a short sale proposal.
“I have heard from many short sellers in Florida whose potential homebuyers have walked away because they couldn’t get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from their lenders,” Rep. Rooney said. “This bill would spur growth in the housing market by helping sellers and buyers complete short sales quickly.”
The number of potential short sale properties is rising across the country. According to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in the second quarter of
2010, Nevada, California, Florida, and Arizona are states where significant shares of all properties on the market are potential short sales: 32 percent, 28 percent, 27 percent, and 24 percent, respectively.
NAR President Vicki Cox Golder, owner of Vicki L. Cox & Associates in Tucson, Arizona, says her organization and Realtors across the country strongly support the Andrews-Rooney bill, and are urging Congress to pass the legislation quickly.
“Unfortunately, homeowners who need to execute a short sale are severely hampered because lenders (loan servicers) are unable to decide whether to approve a short sale within a reasonable amount of time,” Golder said.
“Potential homebuyers are walking away from purchasing short sale property because the lender has taken many months and still not responded. Many consumers have mentioned that the delay in short sale price approval exceeds 90 days, and in many cases never arrives,” Golder said.
According to Rep. Rooney, the lending community has worked to improve the size and training of their workforce that handles short sales, but “progress has been extremely slow,” he says.
Rooney argues that for homeowners who owe more than their home is worth and are in real danger of losing their home, the short sale can help relieve them of the overwhelming financial burden of their mortgage.
Golder agrees. “NAR believes that quicker attention to the short sales process is vital to help homeowners who are underwater and their communities, as well as the nation’s economy,” she said.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A housing rebound? Yes, it's possible.
A housing rebound? Yes, it's possible. |
Fortune, September 17, 2010
Nin-Hai Tseng
Despite continued discouraging data from the real estate sector, a few bullish arguments are beginning to emerge. One MIT economist even believes that demand for new homes exceeds residential construction.
At a time of slumping home sales and a glut of unsold inventory, it's hard to imagine how anyone could form a bullish take on the troubled U.S. housing market. Even though home prices have risen slightly in recent months, experts in charge of Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller index, a crucial indicator of the health of the housing market, warned as recently as last month that the market remains weak. And some analysts think home prices could fall further by 15% to 20%.
But talk about real estate has shifted somewhat lately. It looks as if the contrarian view of the housing market is beginning to gain traction, if ever so slightly.
Credit Suisse says the worst is behind us and that fear of another hit on the housing market is just overreaction. The bank offers a few factors that could help home prices from here on out, including government support of about 70% of home mortgages that will likely keep prices from revisiting the nerve-wracking plunges seen in 2007 and 2008. Also, The Wall Street Journal's Brett Arends earlier this week listed 10 reasons to buy a home, countering a recent Time Magazine cover story earlier this month that questioned the pros of homeownership. Arends lists everything from record low mortgage rates to savings on taxes to guarding against inflation.
All are worth noting, but one of the more striking bullish arguments come from an economist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Real Estate. Bill Wheaton, who thinks the housing market is poised to make a strong comeback, calls home construction "a sleeping giant that is about to wake up."
Wheaton thinks much of the excess home inventory would either be sold, occupied or other otherwise absorbed by 2013. But from 2011 onward, demand should return to pre-recession levels. What's more, he says, the recovery of home construction could boost overall GDP at levels unseen during recoveries after previous recessions, with the exception of the massive building that happened right after World War II.
Not just a comeback, but a strong one
"Housing construction will not only rise, but it will stay high for a while, which didn't happen in previous recoveries," Wheaton says, commenting on a paper he wrote for the center in 2009. "It won't just be a one or two year blip."
So is Wheaton really onto something, especially at a time when so many people are jobless and housing units sit empty -- an unknown number of which could eventually fall to foreclosure?
The crux of Wheaton's argument lies in the rate of residential construction today. It's been historically low – so low that he believes demand is actually exceeding the level of building going on. This helps set the grooves for a relatively large comeback in residential investment.
Here's how Wheaton backs the imbalance of demand for housing units and residential construction.
He estimates that housing demand in 2009 was at about 1.1 million units – more than twice construction at the time. At this rate, the excess inventory will eventually be absorbed. "It's going to be a long time before construction picks up with demand," Wheaton says, adding that this should help housing prices. Foreclosures won't stop anytime soon, he says, but demand will return to a more normal level, clearing out the inventory and eventually sparking more new construction.
Housing construction could hugely drive America's economic growth over the next few years, Wheaton says. Residential investment as a share of GDP is relatively small, averaging about 3% to 4%. But given that there's so little building going on today, it's plausible housing construction could add an average of 0.7% to GDP growth per year over five years – a level far greater than what has been seen during recoveries of previous downturns.
Some might think Wheaton sounds way too bullish given what most experts are saying about America's housing rut. He could be wrong. He might only be half-right. But the bull's side is worth hearing as much as the bear's.
How to Gain the Upper Hand in Any Situation
How to Gain the Upper Hand in Any Situation
Benjamin Franklin knew the value of preparation. “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail,” the influential author, inventor and Founding Father once said. Planning and preparation will give you a 10-times greater chance to achieve your goals. It will reduce wasted time and effort, while improving and maximizing results.
Here are four ways to out-prepare your competition:
1. Study: While others are filling their time with entertainment and escapism, super achievers are studying and improving their craft. Having more knowledge, data, background and intelligence will always give you the upper hand in any situation.
2. Develop: Develop the skills necessary to achieve excellence in your game. Brian Tracy explains that every skill you need to succeed is learnable. There is nothing you cannot learn and master to achieve anything you want in business and in life.
3. Practice: Sporting teams practice for games. Musicians practice for concerts. Busy professionals and entrepreneurs should practice the skills they need for success—public speaking, impactful writing and interpersonal communication. After all, practice makes perfect.
4. Play the Game in Your Head First: Before making a presentation, an important phone call or having an important meeting, play the event out in your head exactly as you want it to happen first. It is amazing how your posture, energy and expectation will change, and your performance will rise to meet it. Try it.
Amazing 3D Sculptures MadeFromPaper
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