In reading and writing on this social blogging network experiment that is Active Rain I often feel it will culminate one day here in the near future where a teacher will call me out from my elementary school chair in August at the start of the new school year and say, Gary, what did you learn over the past summer? I've been prepping pretty hard soaking in material each day, laughing, learning, getting posts hijacked and the like. Now that we have over 100,000 members I definitely will never get to sleep again if I hope to keep up.
But very much like the kid in the first row when Mrs. Johnson calls on little Gary with his mind frozen in the body of a 12 year old, I will be ready with my answer.
Similar to placing No Limits on a child, I have found my report to include No Limits in many areas I have explored with others. No Limits on:
Dreams
Achievement
Improvement
Confidence
Love
I've learned lessons about tenacity and never giving up, through courageous situations others have gone through.
Some were examples in their business life.
Others shared kindly with all of us what occurred in their personal lives.
Overall, with my what I learned from my summer vacation here at this place I'm reminded of a quote from Abraham Lincoln,
"Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."
People here keep on trucking along in life NO MATTER WHAT. That is impressive!!
I've seen many stories of hope and determination, and felt much joy and happiness along the way.
Above all I have felt love, which in the end is all that lasts. So I hope I turned in a good report for you Mrs. Johnson.
You see, I have been paying attention to this place that has "No Limit."
GARY - I've never seen this quote before..."Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."...but it is very powerful. In the current market, deals are dying that would have easily closed a few years ago. We can either let these failures get us down, or we can dust ourselves off, and move forward. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, like Waldman, I've never saw or read that quote before. Kind of has the hairs on my chin standing on edge.
Gary - Perhaps I overlooked something along the way, but you've risen like a phoenix. Your attitude, intelligence, & contributions are becoming more and more astounding. Mrs. Johnson would be damn proud:-)
Gary this is a great post! Being a fan of Abe I have heard that quote but it is a great reminder. We have to have the determination to continue in order to succeed. I am looking forward to the time when we are all writing about how great the market is and have soon forgotten the failures or harder times of yesterday.
Gary....
I believe the quote "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm" is attributed to Winston Churchill, but it's a great quote regardless. I like what Vince Lombardi said: "It's not whether you get knocked down. It's whether you get up again."
It is a good motto "never give up" it applys to so many parts of our lives! I see a couple of famous quotes above that I was reminded of...
Mr. Woltal, Mr. Woltal,
I only have one question, Have I been paying attention or do I get an "F"?
Gary, you always have a way of getting my attention, and that is not easy, and holding it in your posts. Thank you for the lessons that I am getting on a daily basis.
Don R.
Gary - I have learned so much from all of my "friends" here on Active Rain. One common thread is determination, conviction, and perseverance. Because of all of you it becomes easier for me to forge ahead knowing that you are all right there with me.
Gary ~ I think that is the best thing about Active Rain. If you can feel yourself starting to lose that positive thought process, you can just read a few posts and find it again. It has happened to me and it boosts me right back up where I need to be.
..."Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."...
Gary- I think I need to print a copy of that quote and put it on the bulletin board, next to my desk. By the way, Richard prompted the "researcher" in me and I found the quote is attributable to Winston Churchill.
I don't know where you got my picture. You should have shot at an angle to show the chain on my ankle fastened to my desk.
Not a problem. The Internet has been good to me.
The Internet and ActiveRain is an adventure. Prior to that, we simply did the same old, same old and it was a matter of push, push, push.
The interenet and ActiveRain gives us the ability to pull, pull, pull consumers to us.
When they contact you, they are asking for your help.
What a concept.
A+ Gary! I have also been busy learning and growing here, to quote our friend Deb, in the rain. I love the quote from Lincoln... never heard it before but it is so true.
No Limit...great FAITH phrase to recall over and over in our experience.
Gary, what a great word picture of my life here. You have such a way with your word pictures. Never thought about that quote from honest Abe, but it sure does apply here.
Adam: We must be persistent, especially in today's tougher economic climate, and keep the big picture in mind in a cyclical business. Uplifting each other along the way allows us not to be disheartened and we are in it for the long haul.
Jason: Thanks for your kind words. I'm hoping Mrs. Johnson will like the report.
Nanette: Time passes and things change. Housing will not always be in the doldrums and there will again be another fun part of the cycle. You have to just stay with it.
Richard: On that quote I saw it BOTH from Lincoln and Churchill, but Churchill later on in time also said it. They say failure in getting knocked down is not getting up. As long as you keep getting up you are a winner.
Charles: Churchill in the Battle of Britain had a famous Never Never Never speech in responding to the attack by the Nazi Luftwaffe bombings of England. It was a fierce determination that rallied the English people to maintain their resistance and not be overcome. Thank goodness they also had the English channel as protection and later the Americans entering the war.
Don: You are paying attention just fine. I am just putting together what I see with my little ramblings. You are definitely a part of that.
Leesa: You are in it with me and I with you. More heads better than one. And as a community we are all much stronger. The ability to bounce ideas off each other plus LEARN so much is incredible.
Kathy: I love that we can tap into the positive energy here. I agree it is a big boost. I have felt it like you.
Marilyn: It is a good motivational quote for staying the course with a good attitude. I saw the quote attributed to both Lincoln and Churchill. Maybe there were variations of what each said, but whatever, it is great food for thought.
Lenn: You are too funny. Is that what someone who has been at Active Rain 'forever' looks like? LOL. I like the pull aspect of the Internet as well. You are attracting the consumer not to mention all these other professionals as well.
Susan: Mrs. Johnson, you have arrived back with my grade. Thank you very much. With you I am starting to feel like the teacher's pet : ) You are definitely coming along as an illustrator when I write my book.
Chuck: The phrase "no limit" I drew inspiration from Active Rain friend Pam Pugmire who has her license plate in Idaho with that on it. Great choice for her and all of us.
Missy: You know more than others, having been on Active Rain longer, how the place can take you to lofty heights. We should encourage all who are newer here of the place's great potential.
Gary - Simply put, I like the way that you think. You have a creative mind, and an optimistic spirit. Thanks for another encouraging post!
Hi Gary: People who let failure get them down evidently never learned that each failure puts you one step closer to success. It's one less mistake that (hopefully) you'll never make again. Failure is a learning curve. It's not the end of the world. It can be a good thing.
Gary~ Another homerun! (I think I will start copy and pasting that to each comment for you!) Just kidding! I love the Abraham Lincoln quote......I am a quote junkie so I will have to add that to my file! I also love the skeleton at the computer! hahaha!
Jason: I try to exercise that imagination the best I can and throw in my spirit that refuses to stay down. Hopefully the mix comes out in a few of my ramblings. Thanks for your kindness as always.
Elizabeth: Two great, great points on the missteps. It's not the end of the world, and you won't make that mistake again going down the learning curve. VERY GOOD insight Elizabeth. Thank you.
Pam: Can you tell I have been impressed by YOU (and your license plate). I wonder if that one for Texas is taken already?? ; ) Both Susan and I are big Abraham Lincoln fans. The skeleton at the computer is what we ALL are going to turn into if we don't lighten the addiction to Active Rain some and get a life. Lenn Harley says she's already there. That's what 400,000+ points will do to you : )
Gary,
You never fail me. I can always depend on coming to your blog and leave feeling better. I have either learned something new, been inspired or just enlightened. Thanks for not letting me down today. Great post. Just as I expected.
By the way, I agree. Many people limit their potential by their fear of failure. Take occasional failure as a given opportunity to learn in life and move forward and you will find that you will progress at a faster pace than before. Thanks.
Gary, I Know you get an A+ this summer for all your enthusiasm and hard work. I just hope that I have been paying as much attention this summer as you have.
Derenda: Don't quit. That is the theme to get through the failure. Glad you liked this post. It was fun to create with a few of the graphics. As you can see from some of the commenters there are other very talented ones out there with their words and pictures too (like YOURSELF!!)
Mana: Don't worry about reading this stuff 24 hours. I got you covered. I'll get you the Cliff Notes edition on Active Rain : ) I always love the snapshot from your world BTW. ALWAYS look forward to it!!
Gary, You are an inspiration to us all and it is so obvious reading the comments from fellow Rainers. I think if we all keep placing one foot in front of the other, we will eventually get to where we are going, wherever that may be. Keep writing. I'm a sponge, soaking it all in! How in the WORLD did I not find you sooner?
Cute post....with great inspiration as usual. Love the quote.....it reminds me of "The winners never quit and quitters never win." You've earned an A+ in my book.
Hi Elizabeth: We are all in this giant goldfish bowl together so feel free to share from your end. I just play moderator sometimes : ) , or come up with an idea to throw out to the masses and see if the ball gets kicked back to me. I enjoy you being here Elizabeth. I am amazed how it takes me like 80 blogs to find some people I enjoy hanging out with now. It's a big place, so you have to poke around all the little nooks and crannies to find the ones you synch up with. Keep adding your types to your little basket of eggs you are gathering. In my case a "cracked" egg, but somehow they haven't tossed me aside (yet!).
Sondra: I had a friend in college who was a weightlifter and actually ended up being my Best Man at my wedding tell me that quote all the time. It helped me when I started running track to go further distances when I was really getting tired. Thanks for validating the grade. Are you like the principal at the school? LOL. What's funny in real estate so many come out of the teaching profession, and I know you are extraordinarily talented with your CPA.
OK, Gary! I just googled the quote, and it is attributed to both Lincoln and Churchill. Since Lincoln came first, maybe Churchill stole it from him. It's a great enough quote to be repeated as often as possible!
Patricia: You are WAY too smart. I didn't want to point that out on the Lincoln and Churchill historical timeline but who was born first? I know my Lincoln man and his history. And he was born in 1809 and died in 1865. I think this was a little earlier than the Churchill era. Regardless if both said it, it is definitely a good quote. Your level of detail has to amaze your clients sometime. Maybe you have already written your funny Realtor days in the life of Pat but maybe you should write a best of on your stories. You sure seem to have some of the best ones. Stuff that is just so funny.
Gary, Don't care if it was Abe or Winston but I do like the quote. Maybe I will borrow it and give credit to you for posting it on the Rain.
"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."~ Sir Winston Churchill~Abe Lincoln~Gary Woltal
Margaret: I'm just the messenger on these things, but I think I'll come up with a few of these classic life phrases of my own before I check out of here. Pat Kennedy had one yesterday with her parasailing experience which was to do these dreams in your life before you reach "geezerhood." She really should write a book : )
Gary,
I love it! You get an A+ for your summer vacation. Keep up the great blogs!
Coco
Gary: Another great post! You ought to be a motivational speaker. This is a great place to meet people, share and get motivated. It's nice to know we aren't alone in our experiences.
Coco: Thank you. I am doing good with my report card on this one. Won't Mom be proud?
Chris Ann: I like to see and check in with folks like you to see if you are experiencing the same things I am. I'll have to do that speaker thing as a side business I guess ; ) Actually I know a guy who does that where is main job is TV reporter.
"Never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.''
-Winston Churchill, in a speech made 10/29/1941 to the boys at Harrow School
Shirley: You are a great student of history with the lookup on Churchill. Somewhere in there he says never over and over again. The city of London was getting pummeled by German air raids. I don't know how they made it through it other than the RAF fought them off the best they could. If you have never seen the Battle of Britain movie it is awesome. I read the book and saw the movie. Awesome courage on the part of those lads. "Never have so many owed so much to so few." Historic and brave days of character for sure.
HI GARY!
I love the skeleton pic...that's how I feel right now cuz it's 1:30am & I'm beginning to feel like a zombie!! I agree with that saying...success is going from failure to failure w/o loosing enthusiasm! Gotta keep on truckin'!
As always, thank you
hey Gary, I miss my home computer, where all my friends live. Being on the road without them is difficult! I miss my space and place for blogging... I finally got to this one for a few minutes and a few midnight blog-snacks ;-) (And I always love Lincoln quotes... if anyone asks "PENNY for your thoughts?" it's always best to respond with a Lincoln quote.)
Gary~You should listen to Margaret. The first time you repeat a quote you must give credit to the author. The next time you can say "I've heard it said." and the third time you can aay "I've said before......."
Curious Gary? Were you one of those kids, who when the teacher asked a question.........waved your arm in the air with a 'pick me pick me'........or were you quiet? :-)
Yvette: Keep at it. Sleep is overrated.
Mara: Glad you finally got connected. We all miss you and the penny for your thoughts. Let us all know when you get back and how life is going for you.
Pam: Good advice on the quoting. This one apparently was used by two speakers.
Liz: See that picture with the little boy? That was ME!!! Quiet, are you kidding??? ; ) I have too much bottled up enthuisasm to be quiet. No shrinking violet here.
Gary - Looks like you are a very attentive student with your hand up high in the air! I gotta quit stopping by the principal's office so much and start paying more attention. Summer is my slacking time!
Carol: That kid was exactly me in elementary school. My 4th grade teacher made me a pet of hers so much she stuck with our class when we all moved to 5th grade. I can see you at the principal's office with your rebel self. But now you've settled down? Not! I know the wild child still lives. Who invented Hump Nights? Carol Culkin of course : )
Hi Gary, Thank You for your limitless post! I am experiencing a miracle of no limits in my doctoral studies. I am being stretched and growing in ways that I never dreamed possible. My professor and mentor is helping me dream and live the impossible dream! I was told by my high school counselor to not even apply for college because I would never make it. Now I am on the verge of accomplishing the highest achievement in education. For me, it's not about the title. It's about the impossible dream that is coming true!
Dan: You are breaking barriers for sure in your life. Isn't that fun to see how far we can go? And then actually doing it. Congratulations to you and your hard work.