Hooray!!  It is July, my birthday month! 29 years old!  I have been totally spoiled!  I love special days when friends and family gather and spend time with each other.  I love having my friends show me they care by saying Happy Birthday!  Everyone knows how good it feels when other people let them know they are important.
 

Our businesses are all focused on helping other people. In fact, we always remind each other, it isn't about us, it's all about them.  What do they need, how can I help.  Zig Ziglar said, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

The more people we help, the more we end up getting in return. How amazing and wonderful is that?

In our family we are fortunate to be able to help people with becoming healthier, building wealth, protecting their identity and even having on-call legal services.  How fantastic it is to build a business based on helping people.  We challenge ourselves every day to introduce people to what we have, they decide if it can help them.  That is what puts a smile on my face every day!

Speaking of a smile on my face, August is vacation month for the Driscoll's!  We are getting ready right now for fun on the lake.  Kevin and our sons have been refurbishing our sailboat.  We were afraid that maybe last year was her final voyage.

 Don stepped up to the challenge and said, "we can put it in my garage and repair it and it will last a lot longer."  So the adventure began.  We brought it home, put it in the garage, Don lead the charge with almost everyone else pitching in.  It has been sanded, repaired and now painted.  Don was there every step of the way!  Great job! 

All that is left is putting her back together without having any extra parts left over when we're done!

David helped a lot with the boat but won't get to enjoy her this summer because he snagged a new tech job and they need him here.  Amy is staying home too as she is campaigning for a management position.  This will be the first time, since our honeymoon, that we have gone on vacation without at least one of our unmarried children.  They do grow up.

Kristina has moved off to Georgia to be in the entertainment industry. Within her first month she has been blessed to get to play a Zombie in a movie, worked as a production assistant, and as an extra in a TV show.  These gigs don't pay a lot so she is looking for a job near Fayetteville, GA.  Please contact us if you know of an open position in that area.

She is amazing, out of her comfort zone, living her dream, and we are very proud of her!  Since we saw her in makeup she is now affectionately our Zombie girl.

I think I've said before, that studies have been done that reveal people get a lot of enjoyment thinking about and planning their vacations.  At least as much fun as they have on their vacations is what I have read. So I hope you are all dreaming of your next wonderful vacation.

Quote of the Month: "Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden

Live an Amazing Life!   Mary Jane and Kevin 

(By Kevin)

The Power of "Will"

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." - Vince Lombardi 

I remember dad telling me a story of when he was in his early 50s and his doctor told him if he didn't quit smoking it was going to kill him.  Dad had been smoking 2 or more packs of cigarettes every day for decades.  That day, he quit smoking.  Cold Turkey, nada, done.  It wasn't until years later when I understood the addictive qualities of cigarettes that I truly understood what an extraordinary thing a cold turkey quit was.  The Power of "will" saved my father's life for almost another 30 years.

I've struggled with weight issues most of my life.  I've often said "I wanted to get thinner" however it wasn't until I implemented the power of will and said "I will get thinner" that my journey began.  In less than a year I am down more than 80 pounds.  

It wasn't a lack of strength or knowledge that had kept me from shedding the weight for decades.  It was lack of decisiveness or the power of "will", if you will (pun intended).  

It was only when I said to myself, "It WILL happen" that it did.  I repeat this saying over and over again as I continue the journey to a healthier me.  "It will happen, I am in control, and will make it so."  In fact, by December 15th of this year I WILL have released 112 pounds.  Anyone want to bet against me? 

This principle applies to all areas of life.  So if you want to get healthier, build a real estate empire, get that degree, build a better relationship, or in general create your new life for yourself, dump these words when announcing your plans: "want, might, should, may, wish", and especially "try" and replace them with your power of "will". 

"Will" is a small word full of power.  

Whatever it is you want in life implement the power of "will" and watch it happen.

Industry News  

(by Kevin) 

Why are Buildings So Cold on the Inside?

How did we get so cold? Air-conditioning's popularity began in the 1950s, notably in the South and Southwest.  Indeed, back then chilly was the new "Hot" building feature.

Apparently, making people feel chilly in the summertime "is a sign of power and prestige," said Richard de Dear, the director of the Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory in Sydney, Australia.  Many commercial real estate brokers and building managers claim their tenants demand "chilling capacity" in their lease agreements.

High end retailers like to keep their stores colder than the lower end retailers.

So if you are wearing multiple layers at your office in July and August just understand you are in a powerful environment, even if your hands are too cold to type.

Can You Get a Home Loan with Bad Credit?

The fact is that a low credit rating is not the deciding factor in any loan application, so getting a home loan comes down to other factors. If these are in good order, then the chances of approval are improved greatly.

What are the Key Areas?

With bad credit ruled out, the areas that are key to the success of an application for a home loan with bad credit are the budget of the applicant, whether a down payment can be made (and how large it is), and the specific terms of the mortgage deal being offered.  Read the rest of the article here.  

Laughs and Interesting Stuff 

(Selected by Kevin and Mary Jane)

Gun Control

President Obama was recently at a rural elementary school assembly in East Texas where he asked the audience for total quiet. Then, in the silence, he started to slowly clap his hands once every few seconds.

After a minute or so he said into the microphone, "Children, every time I clap my hands together, a child in America dies from gun violence."

Then, little Richard Earl, with a proud East Texas drawl, pierced the quiet and said: ''Well, dummy, stop clapping!'

Government Engineers

Bubba and Billy, government engineers, were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking up.  A woman walked by and asked what they were doing.

"We're supposed to find the height of the flagpole," said Bubba, "but we don't have a ladder."

The woman took a wrench from her purse, loosened a few bolts, and laid the flag pole down. 

Then she took a tape measure from her pocket, took a measurement, and announced, "Eighteen feet, six inches," and walked away.

Billy shook his head and laughed. "Ain't that just like a woman! We need the height and she gives us the length!"

A man walks into a bar and notices two fat women. 

They had obviously been drinking a lot, and were speaking loudly with heavy accents.  After an hour he becomes annoyed with the noise, walks over to them and asks, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but are you two ladies from Scotland?"

"Wales, you idiot!", shouts the fattest one.

"I'm sorry," he says. "Are you two whales from Scotland?"

A Wise Man

Bob, a 70-year-old, extremely wealthy widower shows up at the Country Club with a breathtakingly beautiful 25 year-old blonde who knocks everyone's socks off with her youthful looks and charm.

She hangs onto Bob's arm and listens intently to his every word.

His buddies at the club are all aghast.  At the very first chance, they corner him and ask, "Bob, how did you get the trophy girlfriend?"

Bob replies, "Girlfriend? She's my wife!"

They're amazed, but continue to ask. "So, how did you persuade her to marry you?"

"I lied about my age", Bob replies.

"What, did you tell her you were only 50?"

Bob smiles and says, "No, I told her I was 90"

(so people will wonder what your up to AND its contagious)