Leander McClain's World

HAPPINESS

This Morning I heard the following statement

"Happiness is not having all that you want......

Rather

Wanting all that you have".

When I thought about that statement, I realized that the statement was really deep.

There are times that I want more out of life. At those times, I tend to be disatisfied with the things I have and I want more. Basically, I am unhappy.

Then there are other times when it seems that all is right with the world. Like just the other evening......I was sitting on my front porch, smoking a cigar and having a glass of brandy while watching the cars go by. At that moment I wanted all that I had.

Now you might think that everything was going just the way I wanted at that moment......but you would be wrong. My wife was not feeling well, the closet rod fell (for the 2nd time) and all of our clothes were piled on a couch, the A/C in my car is not working (it was 90+ degrees on friday), we are in between homes, so I don't have as much space as I am used to.....and I could go on and on. But I won't. Because I was thankful that God had sent me a loving wife. I was thankful that we had enough clothes to pull down a closet rod, I was thankful to be riding instead of walking. I wanted all that I had.

You can have all you want or want all you have. I choose the latrer.

Have a great day and a prosperous week

Leander McClain, Real Estate Consultant

Inspiration can be found in many places. Recently while browsing through a magazine, I came across this story. The story was told by Jose Orlando Padron. It was the story of how a small hammer changed his life. I thought I would pass it on. Enjoy.

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In 1962, I arrived in Miami, AN UNKNOWN CITY IN A FOREIGN LAND. I had to start from zero. At first, I received $60 monthly as a government aid given to Cuban refugees. I was thirty six years old, strong and in good health. Every time I cashed that check, I felt like a burden on the country that had taken me in. For many days, I looked for a job and did not find one. Every night, I went home and thought of the future. I was determined to do something so that I could support my family. One day, Raul Fernandez, a friend who worked in the Cuban Refugee Office asked if I had any carpentry skills. I said I did. He Gave me a gift - a small hammer - which he asked me to put to good use. The hammer made me feel I had the necessary tool to become self-sufficient and not to depend on a government hand-out. During the days, I worked as a gardener. At nights, I did carpentry with the hammer. My dream was to save enough money to open a factory to make great cigars, like the ones we used to smoke in Cuba. Through a lot of sacrifice and hard work, I managed to save $600 - money I made working with the hammer. With that, I mad my dream come true and opened Padron Cigars in 1964. I still have the hammer as a reminder of how it all started.

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Always remember, it's not how much is in that glass that's important. It's how you look at it. Have a wonderful day.

Ingredients
5-7 garlic cloves diced small
1/2- 1 large onion diced small
1 small carrot shredded
1/8 green pepper diced small
1-2 stalks celery diced small
2 heaping TBS flour
2 cups warm water
2 TBS Olive oil
seasoned salt
pepper
1-1/12 pounds shrimp

Mix flour in 1 cup of water and reserve.
Sprinkle 1 1/2 tsp seasoned salet & 1/2 tsp pepper onto the diced onions.
Heat oil in pan (med-high heat)
Add onions, carrots, green peppers & celery. Stir fry until onions are wilted. Add garlic & sautee for approx 1 1/2 min. Careful not to burn the garlic.
Add shrimp adn water with flour. Add additional cup of water.
Simmer until this as desired. Taste and adjust seasoning. If not enough sauce, adjust recipe to include more water & flour mixture.

Bon Apetit

I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport . We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.
Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well and move on.
Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so.....

Love the people who treat you right
And pray for the ones who don't.

1: Start Early, Leave Late

2: Be Enthusiastic
Enthusiasm is contagious

3: Plan Your Calendar For a Month
You must set goals.

4: Ask You Immediate Supervisor What You Can Do To Improve YOUR Job Performance.

5: The Difference Between Who You Are Now And Who You Will Be In 5 Years Is The People You Meet And The Books You Read

6: Meet As Many Successful People In Your Field As You Can.

7: Dress Your MIND Daily For Your Work
We dress our bodies....but what about our minds?

As you travel through life, you have many opportunities to help others. You can offer your time, talents, advice, or money. When you help someone, you will receive the joy of having made a difference in someone's life. My grandmother told me "be nice to everyone. You may grow old and need some of those same people to help you". So take Granny's advice and help someone if you can.

When should you up on a dream?
One of my favorite movie lines paraphrased is "Everybody deserves to have a dream". Should you give up when others tell you that your dream will never come true? Should you give up when you see that others have tried what you are attempting and failed? Should you give up when your family tells you that you are crazy for chasing your particular dream? Should you give up because you do not know how you are going to accomplish your dream? Should you give up because you tried to accomplish your dream once before and you failed?

I say, NEVER GIVE UP! You have a dream for a reason. It is YOUR dream. You have a right to keep on dreaming until you change you mind. Remember, changing your mind or modifying you dream is not giving up. Stay strong. Live your life. DREAM YOUR DREAM.

Recently, I received a phone call and learned that a friend of mine passed away. My friend, was not always my friend, in fact, I would say at one time in our lives we were adversaries. We both applied for the same job (one that he was currently holding) and I was selected. My friend had many years of experience and I had not a clue how to do the job. Eventually, he was awarded an equivalent job and we ended up working together.

We spent many days traveling on a small commuter plane back and forth to Maryland. Together we fought for the rights of our employees. We visited each others homes. We got to know each other and became really good friends. My friend would share tomatoes & zucchini from his garden. When I tried to duplicate the results in my garden, he shared many buckets of horse manure with me. He would always tell me, "any time you are in the area, stop on by".

Well my life became busy and our paths diverged. I took a job at another location. When I caught up with my friend several years later, I learned that he had been sick and had some rather serious surgery. The surgery affected his short term memory, but the times we shared together were still lodged in his brain. I made a special trip to stop by one day to see him. Unfortunately, he was not at home. I left a note. He called me later on that same day. He expressed how upset he was that he has missed my visit. We talked for awhile until he had to go. He told me to stop by any time of day or night. We would have coffee and talk about old times. That was about 2 months ago.

That would be the last time I talked to my friend. I cannot tell you how times he crossed my mind since that day. When I sent out my March newsletter, I said to myself, now would be a good time to call or "stop on by". It was on my list of things to do. It never happened.

My friend is now at peace and I will miss him. I take this opportunity to tell you, to remember your loved ones. Call them a little more frequently. Better yet, stop on by. Make an excuse to go see them. You will be glad you did.

Good Morning,
Today I want to talk about if the glass is half empty or half full. If you take a look at the picture attached to the post, ones first instinct is to laugh. The picture is funny. But upon further reflection, my thought is that whoever built this structure is looking at his/her glass as half full. I count at least seven rooms on four levels. Each level is above ground, so there is plenty of sunlight available. Each room is private and isolated. I imagine if you had company, you could put your guests up and they would not disturb you.

Each day as I drive to the office, I pass the homeless on the streets. Think of how many people would love to have a place to call home....even if it was in this crazy looking trailer home house.

I say, make the best out of everyday. Make the best out of what you have. You may not have as much as your neighbor, but you have more than someone else. Go through life looking at your glass half full. Who knows.....one day, it could truly be empty.

As you go through life, you may encounter people who have a need to be important. You know the type. First in class to offer and answer. The person in the crowd that is talking louder than everyone else. The one who is always trying to get someone to listen to them.

The reality of the situation is that you probably have just witnessed a person with low self esteem. The truth is, we all have something to say. We all have an opinion that is important to at least one person in the world....YOU. Whether or not someone listens to what you have to say, does not increase or decrease the relevancy of what you have to say.

I have learned that I am a wonderful person. I have great opinions on just about everything. Most of the times, noone besides myself will have a chance to hear them....but my thoughts are relevant to me.

Everyone have a great day. Don't let anyone try to put you down. YOU are a wonderful person also. Don't ever forget that!!

People are unreasonable, illogical and self centered
Love them anyway
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs.
Fight for underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway
People really need help, but may attach you if you help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have you you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
~Author Unknown~

Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Psalm 27: 14

I used to wake up wishing it was night, and at night I wished it was morning; I was not enjoying my life. Now I look forward to each day. God arranged life in twenty- four-hour periods; we sleep for a while, and then wake up refreshed to start all over again. God intended every morning to be a brand new start, a fresh opportunity.

We can go to bed feeling hopeless and worn out, thinking, I just don't believe I can go on. But somehow a good night's rest renews us, and we wake up with faith again, thinking, Maybe today my breakthrough will come, and I will get an answer; I can make it one more day.

So thank God for mornings