Who Is To Your Left & Your Right?

Did you know that most people earn within 20 percent of the average income of their closest friends?

I was reminded of the role of surroundings last weekend, when I went to a wedding with my husband's family in Cleveland, Ohio. (Here is a picture of us taken just before we boogie down on the dance floor).

My husband's mom grew up in Cleveland and later moved to California where she and her husband raised Deyl. Deyl and I kept saying the whole time "Can you imagine how different you would be if you grew up in Cleveland?" (I had visions of being married to a sports fan, eating way more corn and talking a lot more about snow).

Whether it is Cleveland, a bible-study group or your triathlete friends, it is apparent that we tend to live up to the standards of those that surround us.

So why not use this law of nature to your advantage? If you want to change your body, your finances or your outlook on life, it's easy -- just change who you associate with. Choose to spend more time with people who have higher standards than you do in that particular area or that are experiencing more success than you are. And then...before you know it...it happens - you have become just like"them".

To lead the life you most desire, choose whom you spend your time with carefully (This is why I try to spend as much time with Deyl as possible).

Speaking to the Board of Directors, Helping Tomorrows Leaders

This week I have been having so much fun and feeling so grateful that I have an opportunity to speak to the board of directors at The Girls Middle School (GMS) in Palo Alto, California tomorrow and Saturday.

Did you know that most people will decide whether they are "smart" or "dumb" in a subject matter in middle school? At GMS, they are approaching education in a radical way where they teach non-traditional education like team building, communication skills, conflict resolution etc. They even have middle schoolers submit their ideas to venture capitalists! How cool is that?

I am doing a half-day workshop to the board of directors on the following topic:

How To Talk To Anyone (& Get Him or Her To Help Your Cause) In this talk, Paige shares how she got through to the most hard-to-reach individuals, and got them to participate in her project. Learn the keys and gain access to anyone and gain the confidence to approach them and get them to say “yes”. In this talk you’ll learn…

- How to appeal to the other person’s desires to get what you want

- Why to go for impossible

- How to use what you have to get what you want

- The importance of non-verbal communication in appealing to the emotions of others

- The importance of convincing yourself

Been There, Done That

Our home swap in Colorado was one of the best experiences! We had such an amazing time.

Deyl and I went on adventures everyday --- we mountain biked crazy trails, fly fished in rivers(warning - women do not sign up for fly fishing with your husband without a lot of thought. It was a fun day for me - but i think Deyl might be obsessed) -- we went horseback riding through the Rockies, we fished in lakes, and climbed the amazing mountains of Colorado.

Here is a picture of us in the bushes. For more pictures, see Deyl's blog.