Politics Aside, An Inspiring Message...

In 2001, KidsTerrain co-founder and president Maggie Moran wrote a book for children about finding one’s magic. The Magic In Me offers a simple, yet vital lesson for our children, helping them identify the talents and abilities that represent the magic in each child.

Eight years later in his address to the school children of our nation, President Obama said, “Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.”

Now, aside putting all the political controversy, when you get right down to it, the message was a good one…and one I would think that every parent would, should, and ought to teach their children. The message was really quite simple: you’ll never know what you are good at (what your magic is) if you don’t try, if you don’t embrace the concept that failure is a necessary part of success.

No baseball player hits the ball every time; no ice skater executes a new jump perfectly at the start; no author writes a book from beginning to end in one take. A baseball player batting .333 (which is pretty darn good) is actually only hitting the ball 33% of the time. When a champion figure skater begins to learn a new jump, spin, or lift, he or she fall hundreds of times. And every author, every writer knows that rewriting is essential to honing a story.

“No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work,” the President reminded us. He also said that asking for help “is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something” and a willingness “to learn something new.”

Whether you agree with his politics or not, President Obama offered an inspiring message: To be the best that we can be, to pick ourselves up and keep moving forward when we stumble along life’s paths, and to encourage our children to discover and nurture their talents…their magic.

Written for KidsTerrain.com. Published here with permission.

Just What We Need, More Hubris (Dear John McCain...)

To: John McCain:

I'd like to submit my qualifications for Chief of Staff. (Actually, I've more executive experience than Sarah, but she's already nabbed the VP nomination). But if Sarah truly believes she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, she just may need me there in the wings as her Chief of Staff.

Here's a comparison of our résumés for your convenience:

Sarah Palin: Governor of Alaska for 18 months; mayor of Wasilla, pop. 5,470 (2000 census), BA Journalism; won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest (age 20), some sort of executive business experience, member NRA.

Rita Schiano: Owner Rita Schiano Freelance Writing/Editing; Owner The Reed Edwards Company; current Director of Communications KidsTerrain, Inc.; Owner/manager/chef Casual Cafe* restaurant (1989-2000); Vice President of Book Operations Executive Enterprises Publications Co. Inc (New York); past President and Vice President of BNI-Sturbridge, past Vice President Woman in Business; BA Philosophy; MA course work Miami University; Miss Teenage America pageant (took top 13 year old, Miss Central New York; member Rotary International District 7910; member Woman in Business; member Business Network International (Sturbridge Business Builders); member ASCAP

Sarah's belief in herself to be qualified for VP (and possibly the presidency) has inspired me to look deep within and find the hubris needed to throw my name in the running for Chief of Staff.

* 26% Close in first year; 61% close after 3 years...we were in business 11 years before pulling a "Seinfeld" -- going out while on top of the game.