Year in Review

October 2nd was a big day for us, for Anita’s non-profit and for the homeless dogs in Clermont County Ohio. Recall Anita’s leading the effort to save over 90% of all animals entering our County’s Animal Shelter while I’m leading the effort to affect change politically. On October 2nd they both came together when Clermont Pets Alive! (CPA) was awarded the 2013/2014 contract by the Board of County Commissioners as their K-9 Designee. After much patience and a 50 page proposal to the County that was due the 5th of July, CPA was awarded the right to rescue dogs from the euthanasia list at the County Shelter with 24 hours notice. The contract only covers dogs because Ohio law still does not recognize cats as property (a project for another year). Since the 1st list was issued by the local “Humane” Society, CPA has rescued virtually every animal made available (including dozens of cats and kittens).

2012 was a year of clarity. A year in which decisions were made and actions were taken to move us forward on the path for our lives. The first decision occurred in the spring when Anita committed to make the county where we live (Clermont) No Kill (saving over 90% of the animals at our open-admission shelter). She’s been a driving force behind No Kill education in the region, but always hoped someone else would step up to take the leadership in our backyard. Well they have, Anita is leadingClermont Pets Alive! (the No Kill Initiative) and I’m leading Fix Clermont (to change the status quo).

I’ve chauffeured Anita to the No Kill Conference in DC for years, but this year I needed the education. Attendance at the conference was inspirational and educational and I look forward to the year when we can present our success in Clermont County to the world. In addition we met with our state Senator Tom Niehaus in Columbus to “Get Political for Animals” and Rick served as Santa Claws at a local Petsmart to raise money for Clermont Pets Alive!

There are times in life when we ask “why” and other times when we say “why not”. After surviving triple heart valve surgery, Dad was preparing to explore the possibilities remaining in his life, asking “why not” retire, “why not” travel and “why not” celebrate the blessings he’s received and those yet to be realized. Unfortunately, his plans and our hopes were cut short on Friday, October 21, 2011 as he passed quickly from a pulmonary embolism in Rancho Mirage, CA.

In keeping with Dad’s wishes, we did not have a formal funeral. Instead, he we had a celebratory event with family and friends, filled with all his favorite things. We shared fond memories of our time with him including a dinner celebration at his favorite restaurant serving all his favorite foods. Dad will be remembered for his sense of humor, his laugh and the gentle way in which he touched even the most insignificant acquaintance. Memorial gifts in his honor can be made to the American Heart Association.

2010 will go down in our memories as a year of transitions, transitioning from the known to the unknown, from the comfortable to the not so comfortable and from sharing time with those we love to cherishing the memories of times gone by.

Anita’s Grand Mother Jewel Thompson passed away in October at the age of 90. We visited her in the nursing home while in Georgia for Christmas last year and Anita had some additional time with her during an extended visit in January. Jewel’s passing leaves an enormous hole in Anita’s Daddy’s side of the family. As the matriarch of the family, Jewel influenced the lives and choices of many for decades. We leave in a few days for Georgia to celebrate Christmas with Jewel’s husband Leon and the rest of Anita’s family. Jewel will be with us all in spirit and hold a very special place in our heart and our memory.

This is the time of year many of us sit back and review the events of the previous 12 months. As the New Year approaches we also turn an eye forward to dream for the future. With half my attention backward and the other half forward, when is there time to count my blessings?

Right Now!

We’re blessed to have you and so many like you in our lives. Family, friends, colleagues, associates, neighbors, partners and many more. Thank you for your love, your support, your encouragement, your time and your talents that have helped make 2009 a memorable year for the two of us.

Do we have goals for 2009 that went unfulfilled? Certainly, that’s one of the prices of dreaming BIG! We have you and cherish you in our lives. Please continue to be there for and with us and let us know what we can do to support you as well.

Do You Want Economic Freedom?

Silly question? Not really.

How many people really plan their economic success? Know what they want and are willing to stake what they have on achieving it? Well it’s time for us to stake our claim. 2009 will be our year, the year in which we bust free of our old paradigms to achieve quantum leaps (multiple times) in our results.

Interested in knowing how we’re going to do it?

As you read this letter more will be revealed to you, but first let’s catch up on the activities for 2008.

… for me to sit in my office and click my way to success, I discover there’s a bigger plan, one that’s only recently been revealed to me. If you didn’t read last year’s summary (or are as overloaded as the rest of us and don’t recall all the details), let me fill you in on what I’m talking about. Recall that I started a coaching program with the Internet Marketing Center in January focused at launching my financial freedom through the identification and support of niche markets on the internet. That process brought www.3rdGradeReadingHelp.com to the world wide web – a summary of my grand daughter Mia’s astounding reading transformation with Himalayan Goji® Juice – that’s right, a fruit juice to improve her reading! The Himalayan Goji® Juice didn’t directly improve her reading, it allowed her to focus, improving her concentration, her reading and kept her from having to repeat the 4th grade. OK, so what’s the big revelation?

That would be me. 2006 was my year to stretch this shell of a skull, to go where this man has never gone before (we’re Star Trek fans). It started in October 2005 when Anita and I attended T. Harv Eker’s Millionaire Mind Intensive in Atlanta. Harv’s course taught us the psychology of wealth and opened our eyes to a new world (if you haven’t read his book, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, add it to your 2007 reading list). That brave new world started in Los Angeles at the Life Directions Intensive Course. I spent most of a week answering the questions: “What is Rick passionate about?” and “How can I use that passion to assist others?” The creative juices in LA kept flowing to Orlando in March for Harv’s Guerrilla Business School. This course put an entirely new perspective on the entrepreneurial process and gave me insight into how to create multiple, successful businesses. Finally I ended up back in LA in May for The World’s Greatest Marketing Seminar – WOW, if I can implement 20% of what I learned we’ll all have more money than we’ll ever know what to do with. I also enrolled in Success Tracs, a coaching program to provide accountability, teach me tools to set goals, schedule tasks and track progress. All this while working a full time job (I’m still w/ Procter & Gamble) and helping Anita by creating marketing material and web sites to support our business efforts.

2005 is coming to a close and we find ourselves asking – “Didn’t we just celebrate the new millennium?” We hope this letter finds you healthy, happy and working towards your life goals. I’ve learned (the hard way) to celebrate successes along the way, no matter how small they seem. Please visit our website at www.BarronsPlace.com throughout the year for updates on our successes, our family and our diversions. If you are reading this online you can select the links to view the details of our year.

Best wishes for a prosperous and safe 2005. We hope this letter finds you happy and healthy, enjoying your blessings and your relationships. Sorry for the tardiness of this year’s letter, it just keeps getting more and more difficult to find the time (keep reading to learn why). Just hope this doesn’t turn into a multi-year summary! Please visit the Barron’s Place website (www.BarronsPlace.com) throughout the year to keep tabs on our activities. If you are reading this online you can select the links to view the details of our year.