LifeTango.com Blog

A little over a year ago, I came across a cassette tape that my parents had made for me when I was nine. There was nothing special about it — it was just them telling what was going on in their lives at that time. But so many years later, I enjoyed hearing their voices from another time, and I thought how fortunate it will be when they pass on (many, many years from now) to have something with their voices on it.

About the same time, I came across another cassette that another father of mine had made for me. (I’ve been blessed with 3 fathers and 2 mothers due to divorce, remarriage, etc.) Unfortunately, this father passed away 5 years ago, and I’m glad I have something with his voice on it to remember him by.

After listening to these cassettes, I had an idea. For Christmas, what if my wife and I, as well as my parents and my wife’s parents, created audio books for my kids. I figured it would be one of those gifts that they would like a little bit now, but years from now when their grandparents are gone, and even later when my wife and I are gone, I figured it would be the only gift they’d remember from Christmas 2005.

So beginning around this time last year, we all started creating audio books for my kids. Since the movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was coming out last December, we decided to each create an audio book for one of the books in The Chronicles of Narnia.

As I mentioned, I thought my kids would like their audio books a little bit now, but I figured they wouldn’t really cherish them for years to come. Amazingly, however, their audio books are already the only gift they remember from last Christmas. In fact, just tonight, I went to turn off the night-light in my oldest daughter’s room and she had fallen asleep listening to her grandma read one of the books to her. And that’s not a rarity. More nights than not, my kids fall asleep listening to one of their audio books.

It was such a hit that I’ve asked my wife’s and my parents to create more audio books for this Christmas.

If you have kids or grandkids, no matter what their age, I can’t think of a better challenge for this week’s LifeTango Challenge than to encourage you to create an audio book for them. And, even if creating an audio book isn’t appealing to you, I’d encourage you to create an audio journal for your posterity. You can accept one or both of these challenges by clicking on the links below and then selecting “Adopt This Goal.”?

For both the “Audio Book”? goal and the “Audio Journal”? goal, I will post some technical suggestions for how to create your CDs. Additionally, for the Audio Journal, I’ll suggest some questions you could answer to get your Audio Journal started.

Finally, if you accept either of these challenges and have good experiences, please return and add comments to share your experiences with others.

Create an Audio Book for Your Family
http://www.lifetango.com/goals/goal.php/1512/LifeTango_Challenge_Create_An_Audio_Book_For_Your_Family.html

Create an Audio Journal CD
http://www.lifetango.com/goals/goal.php/1513/LifeTango_Challenge_Create_An_Audio_Journal_CD.html

Best wishes,

Brent

The last few LifeTango Challenges have been more serious and more targeted at finding ways to improve our relationships with others and our communities, so this week I thought it’d be nice to pick something just for fun.

I scanned the goals in the Community section and found one that peaked my interest:

Go Glow Bowling

Now at first, I have to admit I didn’t know what “glow bowling” was–but honestly, that made it more interesting. From a quick search on the internet, I think its bowling with the normal lights turned off and black lights turned on, which makes the pins glow in the darkness.

Thanks to jenedreamer for the idea. This week’s LifeTango Challenge is to encourage you to try out Glow Bowling. To adopt jenedreamer’s goal, click here:

Go_Glow_Bowling

“[Goals] contribute significantly to higher creativity and problem solving.”

Managing Strategic Implementation
2000
Patrick C Flood, Liam Gorman, Tony Dromgoole
p.35
References: Wood and Locke 1990

“Goal setting has been shown to result in positive changes in motivation [and] confidence.”

Science and Medicine in Sport
1995
John Bloomfield
p.157

“It is important that an individual should accept [a goal].”

Advanced Psychology: Applications, Issues & Perspectives
2002
Christine Brain
p.135
Reference: Locke et al 1981

“Researchers have . . . found that extrinsic rewards such as bonuses can increase people’s commitment.”

Advanced Psychology: Applications, Issues & Perspectives
2002
Christine Brain
p.135

“Supportive relationships . . . are a major part of . . . goal setting.”

Organization Development and Change
2005
Thomas G Cummings, Christopher G Worley
p.424

Have you ever assisted someone, and even though you didn’t help out because you wanted a “thank you” you nevertheless felt a little slighted when the other person didn’t say thanks. Or can you remember a time when you didn’t expect a “thanks” and yet someone expressed heart-felt appreciation for your help? Do you remember how that made you feel?

The words “thank you” are so easy to say and yet so often unspoken. And it seems that a “thank you note”? while not lost to antiquity, is nevertheless a rare occurrence these days.

So the LifeTango Challenge for the week is simply this:

Write a “Thank You” note and give it to someone who has helped you recently.

If you want to adopt this goal, simply click on the following link and then choose “Adopt This Goal” in the upper-left-hand corner of the screen.

Write_A_Thank_You_Note

And let me be the first to say “thanks”to those who have started using LifeTango.com.

Brent

As a kid growing up in the 70s, I vividly remember neighborhood BBQs, block parties, and sidewalk conversations between my parents and the neighbors. But as a parent of the new millennium, it seems like I hardly know my neighbors. Sure, we wave and say hi, but the friendship my parents had with their neighbors seems nothing like the relationship I have with mine.

I live in a larger city than I lived in growing up. Could it be that the “big city”  simply isn’t as sociable, Sure. Could it be the I’m just not as friendly as my parents? (Do I have to answer that?) And could garage door openers have anything to do with it?

When I was growing up, to open the garage door, my parents had to put the car in park and get out of the car to open the garage door. As a result, they’d often just leave the car in the driveway, which meant they at least spent a little more time “out front” which gave them more opportunities to chat with the neighbors. By comparison, I get up in the morning, hit the garage door opener from within my car, pull out and close the garage door from within my car and drive away. The reverse happens when I return home–as I approach the house, I hit the garage door opener, wave at my neighbor, and disappear into my garage, letting the door close behind me with another press of the button.

Now I’m not trying to be a sociologist. Ultimately, I don’t know what factors are contributing to more isolated communities. But regardless of the contributing factors, I can think of one antidote hence a new LifeTango Challenge:

Get to know a friend, neighbor, or family better.

To add this goal to your own list, simply click on the following link and then click on “Adopt This Goal” in the upper right-hand corner.

Get_To_Know_A_Friend_Neighbor_Or_Family_Better

Pick someone in your neighborhood or community who you would like to get to know better and invite them over for dinner, to play games, to socialize–whatever you like. The key is: start or strengthen a friendship.

Brent

Welcome to Tango Tips–the blog for LifeTango.com. The purpose of these articles is to be entertaining AND to give you education and advice to help you accomplish your goals.

In addition to sharing inspiring or humorous stories and examples, we’ll also include key learnings from studies and research on goals, and we’ll tag each article to make it easier for you to find information you’re interested in. For example, if you want to quickly see all the articles written on the value of sharing your goals with others, just click on the “Share” link in the list of “Categories” to the right.

In addition to clicking on topics in the list of categories, you can also search our archive of articles.  Just enter the keyword(s) you are interested in in the search box in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen and click Search.

Best wishes!

Brent