Better Nature Photos Now

I believe that to create one’s own world in any of the arts takes courage…Georgia O’Keefe
As you begin your week, take time to do the things you love first. For many people in business, you are forced to do the things you don’t enjoy to make a living. The successful people I’ve known have found a way of making their love, their living.

Warren Buffett once told a reporter that he would do what he does even if they didn’t pay him. Then, in typical Buffet fashion he asked the reporter to keep that fact a secret. He and many other successful leaders in other fields use their strengths, gifts, and life experiences to make a difference in our world.
I wonder how many people who read this would do something different if they had a choice.

I have an unusual thought for you. You have a choice and it doesn’t have to come down to chance. Do something every day that moves you closer to your dreams.
I’m not saying everyday is easy, but if you take my suggestion I can guarantee that you will have more good days and even more great days if you choose to follow you passions…

Beco spent the afternoon enjoying his birthday cake with his fans for his first birthday. Baby Beco is weighs in at over 1400 pounds for his first birthday. If you haven’t seen him lately take time to see him and the baby cubs at the Columbus Zoo.

Baby Beco thrilled his fans for his first birthday celebration. Many children of all ages came to the Columbus Zoo to help their favorite baby elephant celebrate his first birthday. I will posting additional photos featuring Baby Beco enjoying his ice treat for his birthday.

Mark your calendars for Beco’s big day this Saturday, March 27, as our wee elephant boy turns one! Here is the schedule of events for the day, all of which will take place at the Asia Quest mall way from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Beco’s Big Year Book Signing and Gift Tent

Be the first to own a copy of Beco’s Big Year, a beautiful 50 page book that chronicles Beco’s first year of life. You can also have your book signed by author, Linda Stanek, at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Purchase tons of other fun pachyderm paraphernalia to celebrate Beco’s birthday

Birthday Activities Tent:

Try your skill at Pachyderm Putt Putt, spin the Elephant Wheel of Knowledge, or create your own pachyderm craft

EleFUNt Fact Tent:

Find out how much they eat, how they live or compare your foot size to that of our favorite elephant mother and son

Birthday Cake Tent:

Enjoy free cake sampling from our friends at Costco at 11am while supplies last

Beco’s Enrichment:

Watch as our baby boy gets a special treat at 2 p.m.

And don’t forget – PIZZA FOR PACHYDERMS will take place at Water’s Edge Events Park Plaza Pavilion 1

For just $5.00, guests can come and enjoy a Pizza Party in honor of our elephant friends. Guests may purchase tickets online or at the door if tickets are available.

All proceeds go to the “Raise a Ton before Beco Turns One” campaign.

There are two serve times:
11:00 a.m.
1:00pm

Both Pizza for Pachyderms party will feature:

Pizza Provided by Papa Johns along with a cookie and a beverage

A live animal presentation and a meet & greet opportunity from our Animal Encounters Village residents

20 minute presentation from our Elephant Expert and Assistant Curator of Asia Quest, Harry Peachey

Introduction of Linda Stanek, the author of Beco’s Big Year, a beautiful 50 page book that chronicles his first year

Door Prizes and Raffle Drawing

*** As always times and some specifics may be subject to change.

Saturday is Baby Beco’s first birthday. I started covering Baby Beco on right after his birthday for several clients of my best fine art clients. I’ve had over 200 visits with him in the past year. He is a wonderful friend and has provided me with joy unmatched by any other subject for my work.
Now the business side Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer are both fans of outrageous advertising. Bill has written a great book on the topic. Find something that is different that ties into your advertising and your personality. In the first 12 months I have recieved over 30,000 hits on my postings about our adorable baby elephant. He has helped me create a wonderful partnerships with many great non profit organizations across North America. He has launched my site too be one of the top sites on Google search for the the term Artist’s Light.
You can’t get more generic than that term. If a 1400 pound baby elephant can do this for my business imagine what a litte creativity and dare I say outrageous slant can do for you business.

Patience and Perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish…John Quincy Adams
Hawks are known for their ability to wait for hours before swooping in to capture their meal. Knowing when to act is as important as what to do. For many of us we spend all our time doing things with little time thinking about the consequences of our action. I spend at least twenty minutes a day organizing my time to get the most I can out of every day. It’s a great time management practice and it provides incredible daily productivity. Try it for a week. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised how much more effective you become.

“Make no little plans, for they have no power to stir men’s blood . . . ”

Those words were spoken by Daniel Burnham, one of the partners in Burnham and Root, a Chicago architectural firm from the turn of the century (the turn of the LAST century!). When Chicago was chosen as the site of the Columbian Exposition of 1893, the organizers chose Burnham and Root as the architects for the fair. They really wanted only Root as the architect, but they had to take the whole firm or nothing. Shortly before the designs were started, Root died suddenly, leaving the organizers stuck with Burnham. What Burnham created was beyond what everyone had dreamed of, called the White City. The Chicago Field Museum is the only remnant to show us what it might have looked like. (All the buildings were made of plaster, never planned to exist past a year or two. The Field Museum was reconstructed of building materials to last.)

The point is that truly amazing things happen when you dream big! This little lion cub is dreaming big when he takes on Dad, but one of these days, he’ll be up to the challenge. So dream big, because we grow to fit our dreams.

Seeing in the finest and broadest sense, means using your senses, your intellect, and your emotions. It means encountering your subject matter with your whole being. It means looking beyond the labels of things and discovering the remarkable world around you….Freeman Patterson
Take time to enjoy your life where you are and not where you have to be. Many people strive for their whole lives to discover that they are climbing the wrong ladder for them. Take time to explore your different options in life. Strive to make change part of your plan not part of your problems. Enjoy your time with others and the unique perspectives they bring. They are gifts from beyond that you can enjoy today.

I hope I have convinced you…The only thing that successful people from the ones who aren’t is the willingness to work very, very hard…Helen Gurley Brown
I spent the afternoon with Beco the Baby Elephant at the Columbus Zoo. It was an incredible experience. He’s just learning about the snow and he hasn’t figure out how to navigate in it yet. I’m not worried he will figure it out. He’s a smart little boy and still has the enthusiasm of any several grown up elephants.
I sometimes wonder where all the enthusiasm has gone for entrepreneurs. This economic downturn has aged even the most ardent business owners in ways I haven’t seen for many years. I’ve talked to many people who lived through the great depression and many of them feel the same way. Something is missing. I don’t want to point fingers because that’s not very helpful to anyone. If we are expect to change our lives we need to take charge of ours. Turn off the television and get out there and make something happen. I know its hard work to grow a business and you are the only person who can make a difference in your life. Take your first steps today and you will be surprised how little you miss the bad news.

A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in , or the kind of car I drove…but the world may be different because I was important to a child. My Mother shared this with me last time we got together. She couldn’t remember where she read it. She has early stages Alzheimers but she wanted to remind me of the importance in investing time in our next generation. I’d ask my friends with children to consider how they invest their time. There are so many things you can do to give your children some of your time. When I work with children of all ages I am always amazed what people remember about their lives.
When I worked in hospice and nursing homes the stories people tell me always move me. Watching the dance of the generations is always enjoyable. Children always bring a enthusiasm and joy to the elderly no matter how or when they get together. I think the connection is eternal and mystical. None of can not grow old if we live.
Its how we grow old that matter. Take time to invest a child today…