22 Jan
Several years ago, the following article appeared in our local newspaper. My dad clipped the article and I recently came across it again. It is still timely and valuable advice written by Lloyd Shearer. Shearer was a celebrity columnist for Parade magazine (an insert in the Sunday paper) and wrote the popular column Personality Parade.
10 Ways to Achieve a Good Attitude
- 1. Set goals for yourself. Make them believable and clearly defined. Write them down every morning, vividly imagining them during the day. Once achieved, create another.
DO NOT PUT THIS OFF. DO IT NOW!
2. Avoid negative people. They put junk into your subconscious. You cannot help them unless they are ready to be helped. They are rarely ready.
3. Actively seek positive people. Make it a point to spend more time with them. Positive people are gems. Cherish every one you meet.
In March, I traveled to New York City for the Music Teachers National Conference. Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, gave the keynote address on themes from the book that he and his wife wrote entitled, 
When I mentioned to my husband that this month’s blog would be about balance, he laughed and suggested that I first start to make some changes, and then write and article in six months to share how I achieved a more balanced lifestyle. I have to admit that he is right. I have not done well with balance over the last two months. Most of us start the year with high expectations, good intentions, high energy and a long list of goals. That was how I began September – full of energy, many students, a waiting list, and lots of projects. By the second week of lessons, I had already suffered from illness due to stress. I was out of balance – I had fallen off the beam.