Are You Ready?

Cooler weather...
Your favorite sweater...
Thinking of pumpkins and a new pair of boots...
Back to school...

I believe that if we take some time to plan ahead, going back to school can be a positive memory in the future as well.   Think about how much time we spend sleeping and the benefit of having a great mattress.  How about how we feed our bodies and how it relates to our health and longevity?  An education will last you a lifetime, it will take you places far beyond not having an education.  The same is true for all of these examples; what you can get out of it is directly relative to what you are willing to invest into it.

1.  Get Organized
Use your calendar to help you define a homework schedule that you can stick to.
Print out your syllabus for each course and check things off the list daily.
Keep your teacher contact information close by.
Prepare your mind to find solutions to challenges as they come up.

2.  Set Goals
What do you want to accomplish?
When do you want to accomplish this goal?
What reward will you receive when you meet this goal?
Will you be ahead of your calendar?
Can you graduate early?

3.  Stay Focused
Refrain from distractions while reading by turning your devices off.
Do you have the option to customize your education allowing you greater focus?
Try to think about one subject, one day at a time, this will help you prevent feeling overwhelmed.
Go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, finish school work earlier.

When fall approaches next year my hope for you is that going back to school will be on the happy list just like cooler weather, my favorite sweater, pumpkins, and a new pair of boots are for me.

Back to School

You have heard it said that there are times in life when we have bow our heads and go back to the proverbial drawing board. I like to think of these times as a an opportunity to go back to school.  In doing so, we need to go back with a humble soul and an open mind allowing us to capture the essence of life's lesson, otherwise a lesson lost is one we will have to learn again and again.

Many times we all get stuck in the rut, not the good ruts on the track that help carry your speed in the turns, the ruts that bring us down, the cross ruts if you will,  testing our patience.  It is so hard to not fall into the victim role of "woe is me" and instead realize that sometimes you do need to go back and relearn something whether of not you think you deserve what is happening in your life, right now.

I am proud of my son, Michael.  Adversity strikes once, twice, three times, and more and it gets harder and harder to deal with it and truly understand it.  We have raised our two children, now grown adults, to not be victims of their circumstances.  It has become our motto, "this is how we roll", because we have learned as a family to support one another and roll with life.  You fall off the horse, you dust yourself off, you get back on and ride again better and stronger.

Last weekend, Michael raced a local race offering a nice purse for the pro class at Perris Raceway.  This was his opportunity to go back to school ... it is humbling, character building, and most of all it is fun.  Sometimes going back to the school of life is just what we need ... no matter the circumstance.

Be the Dream

In a world full of distractions it is a challenge to keep the dream front and center.  Whether you are a racer, a career driven individual, a dreamer, or a student looking to graduate, your dream needs to become your goal in order to become your reality.  You need to be the dream.  Live it, see it, taste it, and want it bad enough that whatever it takes YOU make it happen, no excuses, no blame game.

"How can this happen?", you say?  "It is overwhelming!"  "Where do I start?" One of the most self defeating responses would be, "Only people with money and people in high places can achieve such success!" It is no secret that whatever we think and whatever we profess with our words becomes our reality, a self fulfilling prophecy.  First you must change your thoughts and your attitude will follow suit. 

Having a dream become a reality starts with YOU and no one else.  Start by taking the distractions away, turn it all off until you can hear the calmness of your soul.  There you can start to believe in the God given talent that you have and make the sacrifices that will push you to the dream that is waiting for you.  It will take hard work and dedication. That is not a problem since you already have everything you need to make this dream become real, and then you will be the dream! 

For more information about On Track School, please visit: www.ontrackschool.com or call Andrea Leib at 909-374-8851.