The Story of The Butterfly

The Story of the Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.

One day a small opening appeared.

He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours

as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole.

Then it stopped, as if it couldn’t go further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly.

He took a pair of scissors and

snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon.

The butterfly emerged easily but

it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch it, 

expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge

and expand enough to support the body, 

neither happened!

In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life

crawling around.

It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness

and haste did not understand:

The restricting cocoon and the struggle

required by the butterfly to get through the opening

was a way of forcing the fluid from the body

into the wings so that it would be ready

for flight once that was achieved.

Sometimes struggles are exactly

what we need in our lives.

Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us.

We will not be as strong as we could have been

and we would never fly.

The ONE Thing by Gary Keller

Gary and Deb Atchley just left Keller Williams Realty Reunion in Dallas. We read the book, The ONE Thing, by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan, all the way home. The simplicity of this book is so elegant. It seems to turn down the clutter/chaos in your head. We heard Gary Keller speak on Saturday afternoon and felt so inspired by his candor and clarity that we thought seriously about leaving the conference on day 1 just to reflect on this message alone. We've (in Keller Williams Realty organization) heard Gary give pearls before, but this has us renewed to get back to that ONE Thing! Thanks to Gary and Jay for this great tool for all of us to use. Great read! Clever and inspiring . . .

If interested in getting information check out web: http://www.the1thing.com

Here Are Some Simple Tips To Help You With Tax Season

Benjamin Franklin famously said, “The only things certain in life are death and taxes” and come this April, the citizens of our country will be hustling to get their taxes done on time. Tax season doesn’t have to totally stress you out every year. Proper planning and the right attention to details, you can be done before that “famous” day gets here. Here are some tips on how to “keep calm and keep moving,” while avoiding headaches during this hectic time.

1. It’s the 21^st Century – E-File

E-filing is one of the best routes to take when doing your taxes on your own. In the US, there’s Turbo Tax and in Canada there’s EFILE. In both cases, you can get professional input on some of your burning questions. It also saves a tremendous amount of time – and you can save a tree or two in the process.

2. Pay attention to your exemptions

Exemptions are the government’s way of giving a little back to the hardworking citizens of our country. If you’re married, have children, or are a contributing member of society you qualify for exemptions, you can save thousands of dollars.

3. Be sure to file the proper status

Your status when filing is extremely important to the Government. It lets the taxman determine your filing requirements, standard deduction, eligibility for credits and deductions, and your correct tax rate. Filing under the improper status could cost you thousands of dollars in improper taxes and even keep you from getting the proper deductions.

4. Learn from Last Year

Mistakes become less painful when we don’t repeat them. A quick look at last year’s tax documents will ensure that you don’t miss out on any opportunities that you may be missing. Each year’s tax paperwork leaves clues and you should use them to ensure that you don’t miss an important deduction, or worse, pay more than you’re supposed to.

5. Deductions are your friends!

Like exemptions, deductions are the Governments way of reducing your total taxable income. Your filing status and your type of employment govern what deductions are allowed under the law. Be sure you are aware of every deduction available to you when you file by checking www.irs.gov for those in the United States and www.cra-arc.gc.ca in Canada. Even a little bit of research could save you money.

While this list is certainly not all-inclusive of year-end tax planning strategies available, you should check with a tax professional regarding your own, personal situation. A little planning can go a long way in helping you save money. Please note that the information provided here is not intended as tax advice.

Preparing Your Home For A Spring Sale

Maybe you simply need to clean up the yard and trim your hedges. Maybe you need a new paint job and to clean up a cluttered room or two. Or maybe, you need to bring in the team from Extreme Makeover: The Home Edition.

No matter what you’re facing, you may want to consult a professional stager (we can refer one to you) to ensure that you’re doing the right things in the right order to get your home prepped for the best results.

That said, there is some good general advice from our friends at the National Association of Realtors® that you can rely on to get you started. Here’s a link to this great article that you can use to see what you need to do, if anything, to ensure your home sells fast and for top dollar.

Enjoy: http://www.realtor.com/Basics/Sell/PrepHome/GetReady.asp?source=web

How Did February Only Get 28 Days?

As you may know, there are lots of groups that claimed their own calendars for use in their daily lives. The Romans, Mayans, Aztecs, and Hindi all relied on their own version of how the days, weeks and months of the year should pass.

The gold standard used today is the Gregorian calendar and it is the “gold standard” used for civil purposes almost everywhere.

How the calendar we use today ended up the way it is as we know it is explained very well in this article from Slate online magazine.

Enjoy:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2007/02/28_days.html