Lessons in Life from an Old Farmer and His Wife

Have any Old Electronics Laying Around?

2011-05-22T01:37:00.000-07:00

American Business Networks Member Communicom of Charlottre, NC recycles Electronic Waste and Metals. President Steve Maginnis is a senior level person with excellent credentials and actually pays his customers for stuff they normally just throw away.

If you have senior level or middle manager contacts for companies with less than $50 M in revenues in the following industries, please contact Steve directly. Please copy me as a CC if you do send someone to Steve and Thanks for helping a fellow member.

Telecoms
Cable
Security Alarm Companies
Aviation
Semiconductor
Outsourcing
IT
Data Centers
Medical Imaging

“We want what you don’t”

Creative Profit-sharing Recycling Program

Steve Maginnis

- Best Pricing for New/Refurbished Equipment

- Reselling Excess/Surplus/Obsolete Materials

- Recycling e-Waste

smaginnis@communicominc.com

www.communicominc.com

803.371.5436 (cell)

10 Tips for Staying Positive in Difficult Times

2011-04-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

Whenever I start feeling sorry for myself, I Refer to The Ten Tips I have collected over the years but always begin by reading this poem given to me by my father. He carried a dog-eared copy of it in his wallet for years after being diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease in his early 30's, passed it on to me and I passed it on to my daughter.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

Give Yourself a Swift Kick in the Pants, Put Your Head Up and Move On. Probably not what you expected for the first tip but it is probably the best of the bunch. Things could always be worse – Look around! Nobody wants to hear a hard luck story. They usually have one of their own. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” English Proverb
Maintain Your Sense of Humor - Find things to laugh about or make them up if you have to. Laughter is the best medicine for the soul.
Be a Net Giver, not a Net Taker – Always be on the lookout for someone who needs a helping hand. Give them hope, listen to their story. Leave them better off than when you found them. "Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again" Stephen Grellet
Surround Yourself with Positive thoughts. people, ideas and quotes - "Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Henry Ford
Rent Rocky and Watch it with a Friend – I saw it in a movie theater when it originally aired and the entire audience stood up and cheered at the end. I have never seen anything like it. Before or since.
Divorce Yourself from Negative Thoughts, People and Ideas Do it Now – Do it Right Now – Negativity Kills!
It’s OK to Fail " Never Give Up - Never, Ever, Ever Give Up !" Jim Valvano
Focus on: Faith, Family, Friends, Fun, Fitness and Finances
Move out of your personal comfort zone. Take a different route. Meet new people. Read different books. Learn a language. Talk to different people. STRETCH your zone. Audit a class or two. Check inspirational books or tapes out of the library. Try a new hobby. Learn a new skill. Meet ten new people and give them hope and encouragement and maybe a lead on something they are looking for. FOLLOW UP ON YOUR PROMISES. Hang out with some kids or old folks or somebody out of your normal sphere of influence. Ask questions. Take a sincere interest in their lives.
Take Responsibility for Your Life. Ultimately you are the only person responsible for your destiny. Not the company who let you go, not the greedy shareholders or the government or your spouse or your parents or whoever else you want to blame for your situation. You decide how you will react to what life hands you and you are the one who has the Power to Take Charge of YOUR Future. Play the hand you are dealt. No Excuses.

Target Market Tweeting and Linked In

2011-04-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

I recently set an objective to double followers, likers and linkers before the end of the quarter. What a silly objective! I met the objective in less than two weeks and now understand how to really take it to the next level. Since our target market is small business owners and sales people and anyone who may someday become a small business owner, I figure that includes nearly everyone over the age of 18. So I am following everyone and I am also picking up lots of good information.

Zachary - AKA Tigger

2011-03-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

Zachary is a natural born athlete. What many kids struggle with, Zachary does naturally. We figure much of that comes from his dad and mom who are both very athletic in their own right but it is another trait that has been passed down from previous generations.

Several years ago, a bunch of us were playing baseball and Bompa stopped by to take a turn at bat. He grabbed the bat with one hand and swatted the ball further than any ball I ever saw hit by anyone. I think Zachary is just one recipient of the athletic ability Bompa never had the chance to utilize. He was already working to support himself and family when most other kids were out playing ball and having fun.

Joshua - A Sharp Mind wil Serve Him Well

2011-03-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

Everyone marvels at all the facts that Joshua can reel off about whatever is his current passion. He can tell you about all the baseball players whoever had anything to do with the Boston Red Sox, his favorite baseball team. Even after they are traded he keeps up with them. For example, Johny Damon used to play center field for the Red Sox. He got traded to the Yankees and then to the White Sox and now plays for the Rays. (This is coming directly from eight year old Joshua)

He has an uncanny ability to remember facts and details and I believe at least part of that comes from, you guessed it - Bompa Burghardt. Like Joshua, Art has a unique ability to recall facts and figures - something that is an inherited trait from a member of the Greatest Generation.

Lessons in Life Introduction

2011-03-29T05:45:00.001-07:00

OK, the Lessons in Life from a Dirt Farmer and His Wife has a official home. Here's the objective of this site so there are no misunderstandings later. I am writing a book and I want input from YOU. This is to prove to those around me that I do not work on American Business Networks all the time. Only when I am awake. So I guess this is being written while I sleep.

This is an effort on my part to give back to our ancestors and to help our descendants understand the important role they have played in helping us become who we are. My in-laws don't even own a computer so the stories will have to be printed for them. But that's OK - just think of the changes they have witnessed and experienced in their lives - Who needs a computer!

I have plenty of stories of my own that I will share as this evolves but if there is one thing I have learned in my 60 plus years it is that EVERYONE has valuable ideas, suggestions and experiences. My role is to facilitate, extract and synthesize that information into a story.

And this is NOT limited to this particular "Dirt Farmer and His Wife" you will come to know and love as Art and Dot. They are the cornerstone of what will eventually be a very large building. A building that will house the stories you contribute about how members of what Tom Brokaw called "The Greatest Generation" have effected you, your family and your life.

So when you have discovered this BLOG, please add your comments, stories, ideas and suggestions - (and by the way by contributing you are giving me permission to use the information in the book with no expectation of compensation).

The stories are everywhere - They are compelling, energizing and uplifting so BLOG ON!

Lessons in Life from a Dirt Farmer and His Wife - Tracing True Grit

2011-03-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

Ryan O'Connor is one of 22 great grand children of Art and Dot Burghardt. He demonstrated the true grit that has been passed from generation to generation last Saturday in a soccer game which personifies his attitude towards life. He is only seven years old yet has already positioned himself as the "go to guy" when the game is on the line.

That trait has been handed down from a couple that have never seen the spotlight nor enjoyed the trappings of conventional success. They are humble, hard working examples of what Tom Brokaw called "The Greatest Generation" and this series is about the continuing impact their descendants have on the world around them.

It as at the end of a season where he has already scored 13 goals and led his team to victory after victory. He is NOT a "ball hog" yet seems to always be where the ball is and does what needs doing. He shares with others, passes, saves and does all the things that make us proud but when the game is on the line he transcends time and takes charge.

We have all seen it in others - The Larry Birds and Jerry Wests and Michael Jordan's of basketball. The Joe Montana's and Bart Starr's of football. The stories are everywhere around us. When the game is on the line, the "go to guys" get it done. Well, Ryan is destined to be that go to guy.

There was 1 minute and 27 seconds left in the game when Ryan looked at the clock and you could actually see him say to himself, "there has not been a single goal scored in this game, time is running out and I need to make it happen." And make it happen he did. He got the ball, dribbled through traffic and delivered the winning goal.

What lessons can we learn from a seven year old? Never give up. When the game is on the line, be focused and do whatever it takes. I look forward to learning more life lessons from my seven year old grandson. A direct descendant of "The Dirt Farmer and His Wife."

Oh, and the subtle fist pump for his Dad after the winning goal was scored? That must have come from the other side of the family - Not seeking glory, just getting the job done. That is an O'Connor trait I have witnessed first hand. Father Mike is a go to guy for whatever needs doing.

Life lessons all around us from people of all ages and all generations. Tune in and take the time to realize that our collective spirit will once again rise above whatever challenges we face as a family, a town, a company, a country and a world.

Hopefully video to follow.

Lessons on Life From a Dirt Farmer and His Wife

2011-03-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

I have ended up creating multiple Blogs. Maybe I will come back and synthesize them at some point but for now will keep plodding (or is that bloggin) forward. This particular post does not necessarily belong here and I will probably move it later.

Lessons on Life From a Dirt Farmer and His Wife will become a book someday. It will be built from the posts made by others on the lessons they learned from the Greatest Generation.

Lessons in Life - Humility

2011-03-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

Realizing that we can't do it alone & we don't know it all is often the first step towards the ultimate success nearly everyone of us seeks. This is being written at a time that for only the third time in NCAA men's basketball history, there are no number one seeds in the final four. No, not a single one of the pre-destined teams will be playing for the grand prize.

I watched the humility on the faces of the coaches and players as they were all overtaken by teams that had "less than stellar" seasons but caught fire at the right time, in the right place with the right people.

Now, most of the players and coaches who were "dethroned" are at the top of their game and I am quite certain they will learn one of life's most valuable lessons - Just when you think you have it all figured out, someone will come along and provide you with a different ending - as they say in college basketball - "That's why they play the game!"

So, take a message from the 2011 NCAA Road to the Final Four to heart. It is when you realize there is ALWAYS somebody out there who knows more than you do and is willing to help that you can cross over into the success you seek.

Two of my favorite people in the whole world are the most successful every day people you will ever meet and yet they are as humble as they can possibly be! Dad never went past the eighth grade in school yet is one of the smartest people I have ever met. Art Burghardt (my father-in-law) left home at 13 because his parents could not support him. He fought his way through more adversity than most of us will ever face and today at 84 is still living on and off the land he and "Dot" purchased in 1951.

That land was initially a dairy farm that may sound like a glorious occupation but the life of a farmer is one of the hardest lives you will ever encounter. Up before the chickens, working from dawn to dusk ("a farmer may work from sun to sun, but a farmer's wife's work is never done").

Mom worked nights and evenings as a Registered Nurse and then worked days and week-ends on the farm and the riding stables. I was not there for the early years but I have heard the stories of floods, dad hurting his back so that he was no loner able to run the dairy farm. They had to sell the entire dairy herd just to survive.

Next, the land became home to Scenic Valley Riding Stables where the whole family worked to literally put bread on the table opening their home to strangers and taking out trail rides for $5 per ride.

In later years, the trees on the land were harvested to support him in retirement. They never, ever took a handout from anyone and in fact would resist being treated to dinner even on their birthdays. Some may think that was about "pride" but we know it is the humility that stands out the most. They never talk about their success but it is all around them in the children, grand children and great grand children who love them.

They are the first to say they do not have all the answers yet everyone of us has "returned home" at different times and we got to them whenever we need help or guidance on nearly anything.

He is a self taught engineer, horticulturalist, electrician, plumber, carpenter, veterinarian, salesman, business owner, and wel you get the picture. That old fashioned farmer and his wife represent a generation that learned humility from the ground up. It is written on their faces and etched in their hands. Ask others, figure it out, never give up.

She is a nurse, mother, wife, grandmother, great grandmother, confidant, cheerleader, coach, mentor and all those things that now have whole occupations built around what she just did because it was in her nature. Many of us owe everything to what Tom Brokaw called "The Greatest Generation", and I would extend that to include the "Families of the Greatest Generation" We have all learned from our parents and their parents, for our children and their children.

So, actively seek the support of others, listen to their advice, implement what feels right and you will go a long way in this game called life. Lessons learned from the generations of the dirt farmers and big time college basketball players can serve us all. Humility is the cornerstone for success in life.