"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson

Life lessons from long ago

I lost my car registration...I had it not too long ago when I got pulled over on the way to visit Delanie and Lord knows I haven’t cleaned my car in months so how I managed to lose the little slip of paper is beyond me but I did. That isn’t the reason for this post but thought I’d give a little background. While furiously looking for my registration I had to go through my middle console you know the thing that I throw all my necessities in: lip gloss, perfume, Listerine, car wash coupons (that I clearly never use), bank deposit receipts, lottery tickets, lip gloss, proof of insurance, phone charger, pens, more lip gloss and there are three pieces of paper dated 5/15/2004. The first one is actually laminated, I don’t know if we used to not give Dad enough credit I would have never imagined that he knew how to use a lamination machine or if Pam(Dad’s assistant) did way more than we ever knew, but on to the papers. Dad gave me the papers when I came home from Auburn to complete my internship with a magazine, though I had worked through high school and college waiting table and doing retail this was my first “career” job.

The first one is a hand written note titled The Amanda Foley Legacy and lists out the following:
1-In one hour early, stay one hour late
2-Day one introduce yourself to everyone, show excitement, put a smile on your face
3-Do more than what you are paid to do
4-Memo to all:
To: Sue Jones
From: Amanda Foley
Body: It was a pleasure meeting you yesterday. I am really excited about my opportunity at Company. Please do not hesitate to get me involved in any work or projects as this is a great learning time for me.
5-What do you stand for? Will you be extraordinary? Will the people RAVE about you?

The second page says:
Mandy
1) Sell yourself
· The importance of a first impression
· Make it a personal decision not a business decision
· People buy from people, not companies
2) It all starts and ends with the customer
· Passionate about your customer
· Buy more
· Referrals
· Endorsements
3) What is your brand? What do you stand for?
· Responsiveness
· Knowledge
4) People buy benefits, not product
· Sell Value
5) Find the problem, and then determine the proper solution
· Ask open ended questions
6) Strong communication skills
· Verbal
· Written
7) Attitude, the importance of staying positive

*side note by me: I do not go by Mandy no one besides Dad and maybe some of my family have called me Mandy since I was little and as I told everyone in second grade my name is Amanda NOT Mandy*

The third paper is a quote by Chuck Swindoll:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.


Just a few of our life lessons that I received long ago-Amanda

Here in the real world

So last night I was up late playing on the internet when I probably should have been working and decided to look at blogs instead. I went to one of my good friends Volree’s blog who has an absolutely adorable almost 6 month old boy. Anyways I clicked on a link she had posted of a friend of a friend’s blog http://laylagrace.org/ and read basically months worth of blogging by these parents whose child was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma at 16 months, needless to say I was sobbing by the end. (Of course my phone rings as I’m finishing it and it was a good friend A.A. that I had been meaning to call so I answered and then had explain why I was crying so hard.) That always happens to me, I’m not exactly the crying type but I swear my phone rings every time I do…Now on to the point of my post. I sent Volree an email this morning Thanking her. Thanking her for providing me with something to put my life in prospective. Yes I think we all have our ups and downs and everyone is entitled to their own pity party bc though there are people out there with bigger problems I don’t think you should belittle your own. But I have been in a funk for some time now, to the point that I am even sick of listening to myself talk about it. Here is the email I sent:

Puffy Eyes

Whole reason why I wrote is…to say Thank You. I have been feeling so blah and stressed and uneasy and restless the last few weeks being discontent, wondering what I’m supposed to do with the rest of my life, where I’m supposed to live, thinking about getting a roommate or just selling my house, thinking to myself is this just the winter blues, will I snap out of this as soon as summer comes or am I ready for a change? Then I read about these parents who are watching their innocent child painfully slip away who are constantly praising God for having her in the first place and thought who am I to complain. I prayed last night for them (for what felt like hours) please God give them peace and understanding in a time when they feel like they will never understand, comfort them with your love and grace and assurance that their child is Yours, as we all are, who will end up where she belongs with her heavenly Father. Yes I still woke up this morning with puffy eyes but I think that praying for them gave me peace about what is going on in my life. I am going to be thankful for options instead of scared of change and excited about new beginnings knowing that even though we don’t always understand why things happen that there is a plan and a purpose for all of us…so Thanks again! Amanda

I know that this blog is usually about uplifting letters from Dad filled with advice on being successful and keeping your head up during tough times but reality is sometimes life sucks*. And we can focus on the stuff that sucks: annoying people at work that you have to be nice to even though they don’t deserve it, dogs that pee on the rug at the door right when you’re about to take them out, your taxes and insurance going up the same month, the economy, missing relatives and friends, sick kids, people that run puppy mills, I could go on forever. Or I (I mean we) could be thankful for: having a job, my health, two dogs that can provide enough heat for me to be able to turn mine off at night, good books, baseball/beach season right around the corner, friends and family that are only a phone call away that continue to answer even though all I’ve done for the past two weeks (possibly seems like three years) is bi*ch and moan, and finally today the sun shining.

*yes I was raised better than to say sucks, my mom hates that word but for some reason sucks just works better for me than stinks, sorry mom

Thoughts

Your thoughts control your feelings and your behaviors. Please, please lock this in your mind. The longer I am in prison the clearer this becomes from the hole to working out in cold weather, guard the mind like a steel trap door and only let good thoughts in.-Love you all, Jim*


Have you read The Purpose Driven Life? Dad and I both really enjoyed this book and I receive their daily devotional emails and send them on to him. If you want to sign up you can do so here:

http://profile.purposedriven.com/managesubscriptionssimple.aspx

Here's a couple we really liked:


I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3 (NIV) This guest devotional is from Jon Walker, author of "Growing with Purpose."When my oldest son first started playing baseball, he was still relatively young and not used to a life lived around clocks and calendars. So it wasn't uncommon for him to ask, "Is my game today?" "How many days until Saturday?"Jesus says this childlike nature is necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven. My son wasn't questioning if something would happen; it was a given that it would. Instead, he was dependent upon my wife or me to tell him when it would happen. Oswald Chambers, in My Utmost for His Highest, writes "The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty." He describes this as "gracious uncertainty," where "we are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God." I would add we can be certain of God's grace while being graciously uncertain of the future details of our lives.With gracious uncertainty, we can be confident in our expectations, knowing our hope in the Lord will not disappoint (Romans 5:5). With gracious uncertainty, we can release the things we have no responsibility for, yet worry about anyway. My son can be certain I will get him to the ball game, but he need not be concerned about the gas required, the directions there, or even to drive. He can just enjoy being a child and simply live in each moment, trusting I've got a handle on the details and I'll let him know when it's time to go. If only we all had such faith, no longer requiring God to submit to our clocks and calendars. Our objective-in-Jesus is to grow confident each day that our heavenly Father will come through at just the right time in just the right way.


When the Future seems Uncertain by Rick Warren
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans ... to give you a future and a hope ... You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest." Jeremiah 29:11, 13 (LB)No matter what the pollsters, pundits, and prognosticators claim, no one can accurately predict all that is going to happen this year, let alone in the next few weeks. Our best forecasts are just educated guesses.Change is not only increasing in speed and intensity, but also in unpredictability. The Bible suggests three timeless principles for facing an uncertain future:Set goals according to God's direction. It's foolish to make plans without first consulting God. He's the only one who DOES know the future - and he's eager to guide you through it. The Bible says, "We may make our plans, but God has the last word." (Proverbs 16:1) In other words, planning without praying is presumption. Start by praying, "God, what do YOU want me to do in 2010?"Live one day at a time -- While you can plan for tomorrow, you can't live it until it arrives. Most people spend so much time regretting the past and worrying about the future, they have no time to enjoy today! John Lennon once wrote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Decide to make the most of each moment this year. Jesus said, "Don't be anxious about tomorrow - God will take care of your tomorrows. Live one day at a time." (Matthew 6:34)Don't procrtatsinate - DO IT NOW! - "Don't boast about what you're going to do tomorrow, for you don't know what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1) Procrastinating is a subtle trap. It wastes today by postponing things until tomorrow. You promise yourself that you'll do it "one of these days." But "one of these days" is usually "none of these days."What did you plan to get done last year that you didn't do? When do you intend to start working on it?



*In case you were wondering Mom gets these daily emails from Dad too thats why he signs it Jim

Excuses for my absence….

My computer crashed

I have connected the printer to the new computer but the scanner doesn’t work

I know that my witty repertoire is fun to read but let’s be real you all just want to look at the pictures

It was my birthday next and I promised my siblings since I put funny (slightly embarrassing) pics of them I would do it to myself as well…yeah right I think I was stuck in my “awkward” phase for about 16 years

Connor’s birthday was next and since he won’t “friend” me on facebook I don’t have an easy way to get pics of him

Mom’s is right after his and I didn’t want to tick her off before she bought my Christmas presents

Don’t get me wrong I love our Life Lessons but they get a bit redundant…Dad is the only person I know that can come up with 500 ways to tell us that we need to: be good people, treat others the way we would want them to treat us, get your big rocks in, work your plan, do the hard things every day, get them done first thing, do the little things other people aren’t, work hard, have fun, practice, have a positive attitude, don’t be influenced by others, remember you’re in control, BE HAPPY, BE THANKFUL, trust in God, Pray, dream big, kick ass, love and encourage one another, remember how blessed you are, listen more than you talk, keep perspective, live in the present, better yourself every day, and did I mention NOT GIVE EXCUSES

So there are all my excuses, I promise this year to be better, maybe not blog everyday or even every week but I will try to keep everyone updated on what’s going on in the crazy Foley family! Oh and I will figure out a way to get pics on here so I can do a recap of the last quarter of 2009.

Happy New Year, Amanda

Live in the present

December 12, 2008
With the 8-9 cellys I have had, 5 or 6 of them I know quite well. The close quarters of the 8x12 foot cell along with the living together 24/7 with no break automatically makes that happen. All of them see me exercise for two hours per day. Virtually every one of them commented that at their next location or when they get on the streets they will start an exercise program. Now they could simply want to make conversation and small talk so they say it as “it would be nice to exercise” with no real plan. Or exercise could be something they need to do yet always look for another excuse to procrastinate on what they need to do. This seems as a terrible way to live your life prolonging the things you need to do.
Life Lesson: Live in the present. Right now is the only time that you can control. Time is interesting to think about. Nobody can get back yesterday; so much time right now is spent thinking about what they should have accomplished yesterday. Why did they not do yesterday what they are mentally spending time on today? You cannot borrow time. By becoming a good planner you will put your time to proper use when it is in front of you. In business, dealing with customers takes place from 8am to 5pm. Before 8am or after 5pm establish your plan to use this valuable time wisely. Connor’s window for sports training to reach his dream is from 2 to 8pm. He must dedicate the proper time hitting, lifting, and speed training in addition to studying, during these times. In business, you have the golden hours of 8am to 5pm. During your golden hours ask, Life Lesson: At this point in time, what is the best use of my time. Put this on a card and keep it with you. This is an excellent habit to get into during life. When it is time to relax-relax, when it is time to work-work, and work on the most important things. Life gives you so many opportunities to get distracted. Every news TV program during the day insinuates a breaking story coming; “the collapse of the economy” is next. Well this attracts mom, Amanda, and Sean because they are in the business world. Unfortunately, the story discusses the bailout for the automobile industry is not approved and one insider worried without a bailout the economy will collapse. Based on this exciting headline, Sean lost twenty minutes of his day. “Find out where Manny is going next”, well Connor, Delanie, and Reaghan stop studying to hear where Manny is going. They story states that Manny’s agent is in Washington talking to the Nationals, who cares, no news yet they just drained twenty minutes from your extremely important golden hours. Do not keep the tv on when working or studying and fall into this trap. Make very good use of your time. Again, when it is time to relax-relax and this includes TV. Let’s get away from too much TV; this is not sour grapes either just because I forgot what a TV looks like. Life Lesson: The Foley Plan, no more than one hour per day for tv. Seven hours per week, use them how you choose. Connor used three hours each Sunday on the Titans- good use! Read, watch a good movie, exercise, and do not waste the precious commodity of time. This will benefit you so much in life. Think about how you use your time. Acknowledge where you are in life so you can better your future. Live your dreams, because you make a good use of your current time. Right Now!

So now that we get to visit Dad and he has a job, he hasn’t been sending us as many life lessons. Don’t worry we still have hundreds to type up and I’ve enlisted Delanie to help me with that task. When I went to visit last weekend this is what he asked me about and I thought I’d share:

Walls

What walls stand in your way, what is keeping you from doing your best and getting better every day? Are you getting enough sleep, eating right, and exercising? Are you studying, working your hardest, doing the things that others won’t do to make you the best? Work hard every day at breaking down the walls that are keeping you from achieving all your goals. Get your big rocks in, be kind to others, and give thanks to God every day.

I laughed and told him he sounded like Rev Run, I don’t know if any of you watch his show but he always ends it with him taking a bath typing out what he calls his words of wisdom on his blackberry and he signs it God is love, Rev Run. I think Dad needs a new sign off…