Many people think that summer is the time for relaxation and slow paced days of dreaming.  I think not!  Summer is the perfect time to consider what YOU want to have happen next.  It is the begining of the next season, a season of warmth, long days, and renewed spirit.  What better time is there to focus on changing ONE behavior that will benefit the rest of your life?    I am opening up the Becoming You Challenge, a course that will be taking place at Learn 2 Choose Inc., Center for Social Emotional Learning, in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.  I will provide this course free of charge for the first twenty participants!  E-mail me, Dr. Marshall, at learn2choose@aol, with "Becoming You Challenge - count me in" in the subject area.  Make this the summer you do what YOU want to become you!

Beginnings, endings and awareness of both - Memorial Day Weekend.  The start of summer, the joy of getting together with friends and family, of anticipating the change of season and the warmth of long, lazy days, mixed with the memory of Americans who have given their all so that we can be free.    Some people say that it is a hard time to be American, with our economy in shambles, fighting two wars, homlessness and joblessness at an all time high, but I think that because we are American, we will be able to see the potential of the situation and rise to the challenge.  What do you want to have happen next?  Imagine you have achieved that goal then step back and explain how you got there.  The warm days of summer come back every year, with or without Memorial Day, but taking the time to savor the potential of what is to come, and reflect on how much has been done already, makes it even sweeter.  Happy Memorial Day,  the best is yet to come!

I was driving home this morning from a class and noticed how green the trees have become. They were swaying in the breeze, their green leaves shimmering in the sunlight.  I wondered, when did that happen?  It seems as though just yesterday I was questioning if spring would ever arrive.  

 On this mother's day - my 17th - I look at life like those green leaves.  It seems as though just yesterday my children were born, how can they now be such wonderful young women?  The difference between my drive home musing and those on my life is that I have watched my life more closely.  I know where every day went, and how, step by step, my family has grown and flourished.  It did not happen over night, and I was not oblivious to it because I was wrapped up in some other project.

 So, on this Mother's Day, I wish everyone happiness.  Take the time to call the people you love, look at the new wrinkles on your mom's face and find your comfort there, knowing that her smiles have carved those memory lines.  Be careful not to put too much importance on "personal projects"  that might bring you instant gratification, but cost you process happiness in the long run.

 BECOMING YOU, An  Owners Manual for Creating Personal Happiness  has been published and is available on Amazon.com.   Just type  Becoming You B. Marshall in the search engine and you can order a copy today.   Welcome to the Becoming You challenge - Are you ready to be happy?