Executive Housekeeping Today - November 2008 - (Page 6)

frugal housekeeper The Little Train That Could: Staying On Track Towards Life’s Goals A five-year-old girl was watching television and saw a teenage girl winning a gold medal as a gymnast. She was enthralled and determined then, even as a youngster, that she would be the best in the world at something, too! So, she set out towards that goal by training hard and won awards at the local, state, and regional levels in gymnastics. She was striving, but hadn’t yet reached the goal of being the best. Then one day, she saw some skiers aerial skiing and she knew that she had found her passion. She changed course and started to learn how to become an aerial skier. She eventually went to the Olympics, only to finish in 13th place, which meant she could not qualify for the medal round. She was crushed—she was not the best in the world! On top of that, during her Olympic trials, she experienced extreme pain in her back. Doctor after doctor told her she would never ski again. The woman continued to visit doctors and eventually found a specialist that worked with her, and after extensive therapy and weight training, she was back on the ski slopes. Several years later, she was on top of her skiing profession and decided to go for the gold, one more time. She entered the winter Olympics in 1998, and finally won a gold medal—the only American woman at that time in history to do so in inverted aerial skiing! Today, she is married, has a young daughter, and has given up skiing. Part of the story about Nikki Stone (www.nikkistone.com) is that she had a dream, she had a a by Alan S. Bigger and Linda B. Bigger goal, and even though trials came her way, she never gave up—she is a survivor. It always amazes me to hear of such stories and I find myself intensely humbled by such heroic efforts on behalf of an individual. After meeting Nikki in Park City, Utah, I discovered a person who at the time of her gold medal was the best in the world, yet someone who was humble, and willing to share what she had learned from her school of hard knocks. Today, she is a motivational speaker and a counselor to athletes. Nikki Stone is still a winner. She had a clear goal, stayed on track towards the goal; she had to strive to thrive and she built relationships with others. Her mother, coaches, and supporting doctors helped her to go for the gold! How does a person achieve such heights and go so far? While in Park City, I had the opportunity to take a train through the valleys, between mountains that seemed to touch the sky. It was a wonderful experience—the air was clear, the scenery was breathtaking, and the countryside so peaceful. As I rode the train I noticed several things: • Setting a goal: First of all, the train started from a station (point A), and set as a destination (point B). It was very clear that the train was guided by a driver with a set goal—to get from point A to B—just as an Olympian sets out with a clear goal. As we move through each stage of our lives, having clear goals along the way can be a great asset in guiding us. I remember Lou Holtz, former head coach at the University of Notre Dame, talking about the list of goals that he planned to do in his life, many of which he has accomplished. He would have never achieved those goals if he had not set them. It is never too early or too late to set goals. In our profession, strive to be the best that you can be each day—strive to be a certified or registered executive housekeeper, to be a supervisor, director, or even owner of your own business. It will never happen if you or I do not set goals. (For more information about Lou Holtz, you might like to read Coach Holtz’s book, Winning Every Game: The Game Plan for Success). • Staying the course: As we rode the train, from point A to B, I noticed that the train ran on tracks. As long as it stayed on track, or on course, it would make its destination. If the train got derailed and left the tracks, it would have not reached the final destination—a beautiful setting between mountains that soared over 10,000 feet high, at the base of which there was a beautiful, placid lake. Olympians, football coaches, you, and I can easily be distracted by events around us. The boss is not nice, there does seem to be room for improvement, I am not paid enough we could go on indefinitely being derailed or distracted by events or circumstances. The coaches that win national championships or baseball league series or athletes that win gold medals have defeats along the way. Despite some defeats along the way, these focused individuals rise above the 6 Executive Housekeeping Today/November 2008 http://www.nikkistone.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Housekeeping Today - November 2008

Executive Housekeeping Today - November 2008 Contents Executive Corner The Most Unwelcome Guests Good Housekeeping: Eliminating Pests from the Equation Frugal Housekeeper Director-at-Large Distribution Don’t Just Clean up After Birds—Get Rid of Them! Monday Night is Fly Night Green Pest Control Practices Executive Profile The Green Scene Keeping Hard Floors Clean For the Holidays Inside the Industry Product Highlights New Members Joint IEHA/ISSA Members Advertisers’ Index Calendar of Events Inside IEHA What IEHA has Done for Me

Executive Housekeeping Today - November 2008

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