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A Wish for the Wall

I know what I want for Christmas: a magic wall. Like many Americans, I’ve had difficulty tearing myself away from election news coverage this past week. I’ve watched split screens of four different television stations at once in order to see different predictions, projections, and perspectives, as well as the latest up-to-the-minute ballot counts in each of the battleground states. One of the things I’ve been mesmerized by is a “magic wall” –  the name given to a giant computer monitor showing a map of the [...]

By |November 8th, 2020|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Health and Well-being, Success|Comments Off on A Wish for the Wall

A Champion for Change

“Champions for Change” is the name of the feature, and I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was when I saw one of the champions being showcased – a young man named Lual Mayen. He was born as his family was fleeing South Sudan, and has lived more than 22 years in a refugee camp in northern Uganda. The first time he ever saw a computer was in 2007 during a refugee registration, and after he told his mother he wanted to buy [...]

By |September 18th, 2020|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Gifts and Talents, Making a Difference, Uganda, Values|Comments Off on A Champion for Change

Where were you that day?

If you’re old enough to remember it, I don’t need to say any more than that for you to know what I’m talking about. Yesterday, on the anniversary of what we now simply refer to as 9/11, everyone remembered exactly where they were, what they were doing, and how they found out about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Most of us remember other things about that day, too. How surreal it felt. How we knew instinctively that the world had [...]

By |September 12th, 2020|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Values|Comments Off on Where were you that day?

Words (NOT) of Wisdom

I had a Zoom meeting a few days ago with other members of a neighborhood club I belong to. The main item on the agenda – other than just touching  base and catching up with each other – was voting to elect a new treasurer, since our previous one had to resign due to health issues. After the vote, our new treasurer shared the story that when interviewing for her first job, she had to take a number of tests on various subjects at the [...]

Imagine a World…

My weekly project last week was tackling one of the shelves in my office closet – the one that holds, among other things, notebooks, binders, and workbooks from some of the many classes I’ve taken over the years. Most of them have to do with writing or professional speaking, and I haven’t really looked at them in a long time. In a way, going through them was like looking at old scrapbooks or photo albums. In another way, it was a bit like looking in [...]

By |March 6th, 2020|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Buried Treasure, Columns, Making a Difference, Quotes and Sayings, Respect, Values|Comments Off on Imagine a World…

The Best Response

“Feel the fear, and do it anyway.” That was the theme of a Toastmasters meeting I attended on Friday. It was a demo meeting at a company in Augusta that is planning to sponsor a new Toastmasters club for employees, and I was part of the team providing a demonstration of what a Toastmasters meeting is like. “Feel the fear, and do it anyway” could easily be a motto for Toastmasters in general, since public speaking is one of the biggest fears many people have, [...]

By |February 2nd, 2020|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Professional Speaking, Toastmasters|Comments Off on The Best Response

Holiday Hopes

I hope this holiday season finds you safe and warm, and with a sense of satisfaction as you reflect on everything you accomplished and enjoyed throughout the year. I also hope you take some time to relax and dream, and to start envisioning the plans and goals you would like to pursue in 2020. I wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a Prosperous and Happy New Year! December 20, 2019 ©Betty Liedtke, 2019 I welcome your comments, but please be aware that all comments [...]

By |December 20th, 2019|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Holidays|Comments Off on Holiday Hopes

Poultry Power

When I say the word “chicken,” what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Maybe you envision an actual rooster or hen. Or perhaps it’s a plate of chicken nuggets or Kentucky Fried. You might think of a childhood bully’s taunt, daring you to try something stupid or dangerous, and then calling you a chicken when you don’t oblige. Right now, the word “chicken” takes me back to Uganda, where I spent two weeks recently, visiting commercial and family poultry farms, a hatchery, a [...]

By |November 10th, 2019|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Making a Difference, Respect, Uganda, Values|Comments Off on Poultry Power

Three Kinds of People

Some people are dreamers. They envision endless and enormous options and opportunities, and believe the word “impossible” doesn’t mean something can’t be done, just that it hasn’t been done – yet. They can make a difference in the lives of others, as well as in their own. Some people are practical. They see the possibilities, but also the problems in their projects and activities. They recognize obstacles – real and potential – and they understand what needs to be done to overcome them.  They can [...]

By |November 2nd, 2019|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Gifts and Talents, Making a Difference, Uganda, Values|Comments Off on Three Kinds of People

A Tribute to a True Legend

Warm. Gracious. Humble. These are the first words I thought of to describe Alice Walker when I met her on Friday. We were at the Georgia Writers Museum, where several events would be taking place on Saturday as part of an all-day celebration in honor of her 75th birthday. As she walked in, she smiled, extended her hand, and said, “Hi. I’m Alice.” I was able to restrain myself to keep from blurting out, “Yes! Yes you are!” Instead I simply smiled back, shook her [...]