FUN-travel: Mesmerizing Monument Valley, UT
June 18, 2018 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Mesmerizing Monument Valley, UT
- Iconic symbol of the American West…
…& sacred heart of the Navajo Nation…
…isolated deep red mesas and buttes…
…surrounded by empty…
…orange sandy desert.
- 17 mile dirt road…
…criss-crosses through sculpted rock formations…
…soaring 400 to 1,000 feet above the valley floor.
- Ancestral spirits infuse the rugged…
…disruptive landscape that feels foreign.
- Our full moon…
…at the end our trip…
…was another portentous sign…
…like our full rainbow in Jackson Hole.
Sunset Serendipity Surprise…
…left the room…
…to see the sunset…
…and was blown away…
…by what I found…
…the chanting…
…dancing
…and meditative music…
…made for a truly memorable night!
FUN-fact – The majestic Monument Valley landscape has been the backdrop for more than sixteen movies.
FUN-travel: Heavenly Hovenweep, UT
June 15, 2018 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Heavenly Hovenweep, UT
- Remote & off the beaten path…
…spread over a 20 mile expanse…
…lie 6 separate prehistoric ruined Pueblo villages…
…beautifully & skillfully designed…
…multi-storied towers perched on canyon rims & balanced on boulders.
FUN-fact – Human habitation dates to over 10,000 years ago.
Word-Of-the-Week #723: Success
June 14, 2018 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #723: Success
Success –achieving something desired, planned or attempted.
How often have you felt you achieved success in your life? Do you give yourself credit for attempting something even if it doesn’t turn out the way you expected? Are you clear on what you want out of life?
This week Scott Mautz shares, “Now That I’m 50, Here’s What I’ve Learned About Achieving Success That Escaped Me at 25. Hitting the big fifty requires reflection almost as a duty. So I focused mine on what I’ve learned about success since being half my current age.”
“I like writing about timeless lessons for success or key behaviors that lead to success. I’ve even written about famous failures that will inspire you to success. But nothing has spurned a more introspective look at achieving success than my turning a half-century old. (Ugh, it hurts to even write those words). I now realize how much I’ve learned compared to when I was half my age.
So, this column is addressed to the 25-year-old me to whom I say, “Hey! Turn off your Sony Walkman and shift your attention from the Counting Crows to this success advice!”
- You own your career.
When I joined a big company shortly after turning 25, I believed that the Great Career Planner in the sky would simply move me from job to job until my career dreams were fully realized.
I was doing too much assuming and not enough asserting.
Don’t fall into this trap. Yes, you’ll get help along the way, but you’re in the driver’s seat. Be clear on what you want and proactive in making it so. Regarding being clear on what you want, see the next point.
- Meaning starts with “me.”
You’re the only one who can ascribe meaning (or not) to what you spend your time on. Pursue the life and career that you want, not that someone else expects of you. The word “meaning” starts with “me” for a reason. This is the key to having a truly meaningful, fulfilling career–and life.
Bronnie Ware (a palliative nurse) captured the misgivings of the dying in her book The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying. Number one on the list of regrets? “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
- Seek authenticity, not approval.
This directly relates to number two. When we seek approval we’re seeking external validation, which is an empty victory at best and elusive and confidence eroding at worst. If approval equals success for you, know it’s a never-ending quest. Instead, let a desire to serve your authentic self drive your actions.
- Know that your definition of success will change.
25 years ago it was all about getting promoted as often and fast as possible. Now, it’s about serving something greater than myself as broadly and deeply as possible. I didn’t see that coming.”
This week’s focus is on success. Has your definition of success changed over the years? Are you focusing on your desires or someone else’s? Do you feel you have a truly meaningful, fulfilling career–and life?
I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.
FUN-travel: Miraculous Mesa Verde, CO
June 13, 2018 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Miraculous Mesa Verde, CO
- Dating from AD 550…
…for over 700 years…
…Ancestral Pueblo people made it their home.
- Spanning across 40+ miles of roads…
…contains over 5000 archeological sites…
…& some of the most notable & best preserved in the US…
…including 600 cliff dwellings…
…mesa top sites of pit houses – pueblos – masonry towers & farming structures.
FUN-fact – After living primarily on the mesa top for 600 years, they began building structures under the overhanging cliffs of Mesa Verde—anything from one-room storage units—to villages of over 150 rooms.
More FF – In 1978, Mesa Verde National Park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
FUN-travel: Adorable Durango, CO
June 11, 2018 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Adorable Durango, CO
- Pretty hard not to get swept up in…
…“Bike Mania” a la Durango style…
…laid back & loads of FUN!
Wonderful Historic Downtown
- Sunday’s events featured BMX races…
…tons of dirt spread over 2 hilly downtown blocks…
…with wooden ramps…
…giving the riders more speed…
…& the audience more thrills & chills!
- Then another bike race thru downtown…
…that included a ramp taking riders up to the 2nd story rear patio…
…through the bar of Steamworks Brewery…
…& out the front window.
- And for the Grand Finale…
…a full costume cruiser parade on Main Street!
- Lovely, welcoming, unpretentious, & proud…
…is all we can say about Adorable Durangoians!
FUN-fact – The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic started as a contest between two brothers, Tom and Jim Mayer. Jim, Tom’s older brother, was a train engineer on the iron horse. Every day when the train which Jim was conducting passed their home, Tom would jump on his 10 speed bike and pedal 50 miles over the two mountain passes in an effort to beat this brother.
More FF – Durango was founded by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway in 1879. The railroad arrived in Durango on August 5, 1881 and construction on the line to Silverton began in the fall of the same year & completed in July 1882.
