PREAMBLE: My Mother
My mother was born in 1918, oldest daughter of a hard-working German family in Pennsylvania coal country. Money was scarce for all, even though entire families, down to the youngest of the children, contributed to their family's survival. Still, there was always time for school.
To whomever it was that taught the third grade in Sandy Township Elementary, you’re the best. The things you taught those kids stands as the best today, eighty years later. You were probably paid less than the guy who ran the gas station, but you were brilliant, and you’ve made a difference in my life, and in the life of my children, in 2007. Thankyouverymuch.
My mother went to college and became a teacher. That teacher, spoke perfect King’s English at home, and by fiat and example, required that her younger brother and sister, and later we children, mirror her example. She was gentle and soft spoken, but she was exactingly clear about right and wrong, on all levels.
BIG THING: Good Grammar
In 1965, I was probably the only 8 year old who answered the phone: “Finch Residence”. 
If, by any chance the caller asked for me, which, LIKE NEVER happened, I’d reply: “This is she”.
How many other kids of the KC and the Sunshine Band generation said, “This is she” ? Good grammar is in my veins, and as a child I was pushed around because of it....well, and probably some other terrible stuff I did or said.
Here, on AR, our words are our businesses, our reputation, our thoughts, our convictions, our personalities. Would you choose to stand in front of a professional photographer without combing your hair? Would you walk into a listing appointment wearing pajamas?
An incredible point, a compelling perspective, the description of a new business tool, intimate reflections on a moving experience....all gain power when presented correctly. All lose power when presented poorly.
MEDIUM SIZED THING: Spelling
My reputation as a business person, as a mother, as a volunteer, as a Stager, hinges upon the project I’ve just completed. We’re only as good as our last gig, our last committee meeting, our last event, our last interview, and our last blog. Right?
After just a few months of being an AR Blogger and reading all I have time to read, often at every opportunity, I offer the following; humbly; as if my mother were in the room.
Those posts that catch my eye are those that speak of logic, of poetry, of beauty, of business, and of rationality. Those authors to whom I instantly connect are authors of grace, dignity, intellect; and articulation. In many ways, my mother, gone mentally since 1991, and physically since 1998 IS still in the room. If she had been reading over my shoulder, this is what she would say:
- their (possessive form of they)
- there (in that place)
- they’re (contraction of they are)
- accept (a verb, meaning to receive or to admit to a group)
- except (usually a preposition, meaning but or only)
- who’s (contraction of who is or who has)
- whose (possessive form of who)
- its (possessive form of it)
- it’s (contraction of it is or it has)
- your (possessive form of you)
- you’re (contraction of you are)
- affect (usually a verb, meaning to influence)
- effect (usually a noun, meaning result)
- than (used in comparison)
- to: (modifier)
- too: (adjective referencing an excess)
- then (refers to a time in the past)
- were (form of the verb to be)
- we’re (contraction of we are)
- where (related to location or place)
TWO TINY THINGS: A lot of looseness.
“A lot” is not a term. “A lot” is the degenerative vernacular of :
- a lot, meaning a collection of items (as in an auction)
- a lot, meaning a segment or area of land (as is a building lot)
- a lot, meaning a set of circumstances (as is “your lot in life”)
Rather use (when referring to quantity): many, more than I care to imagine, tons, far too many, oodles, zillions. When referring to frequency, try using: often, frequently, commonly, many times.
Loose means
· not restrained or confined or attached
· not compact or dense in structure or arrangement; "loose gravel"
· (of a ball in sport) not in the possession or control of any player; "a loose ball"
· not tight; not closely constrained or constricted or constricting; "loose clothing";
· informal: not officially recognized or controlled; "an informal agreement
· free: not literal; "a loose interpretation of what she had been told";
· unaffixed: not affixed; "the stamp came loose"
· (of textures) full of small openings or gaps; "an open texture"; "a loose weave"
· not fixed firmly or tightly; "the bolts became loose over time";
· idle: lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk"; "a loose tongue"
· not carefully arranged in a package; "a box of loose nails"
Lose means:
· fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense; "She lost her purse”
· fail to win; "We lost the battle but we won the war"
· suffer the loss of a person through death or removal; "She lost her husband in the war";
· misplace: place (something) where one cannot find it again; "I misplaced my eyeglasses"
· miss from one's possessions; lose sight of; "I've lost my glasses again!"
· allow to go out of sight; "The detective lost the man he was shadowing "
· fail to make money in a business; make a loss or fail to profit; "I lost thousands of dollars”
· fail to get or obtain; "I lost the opportunity to travel"
· miss: fail to perceive; "I missed that remark"; "She missed his point";
Conclusion: My mother’s lesson to we three girls:
You are deeply treasured by those who love you; but the world is vast and everyone is busy, struggling to accomplish their own goals. If you are to make a difference, you must be outstanding. Go forth, and be brilliant, and be YOU! My mother, born during WWI, child of the Depression, a mother during WWII, had drive and hope.
We now live in a time of peace (on our borders.....without military occupation; without curfew, without dictatorship), of affluence, and of choice. Choose to be brilliant. Choose to be outstanding. You will find personal success. From there, you will find business success.....naturally.
Choose!
Just my two cents, from
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