A To Z - All Hail Christine

We're into day three of the challenge and the letter is C.  I didn't even have to think twice about this one though, because there are two great things going on.  First off, Christine Fonseca is putting out another great book called 101 Success Secrets For Gifted Kids.  I am honored to say I am a friend of hers, and as such I figure my C post can be used to help her celebrate and launch this awesome book.  Christine has challenged us to answer the following question:

My advice to a child would be very simple.  Find a smile in everything you do and hold on to it.  Life isn't one big ball of fun at every given moment, but learning to appreciate the fun things in life is what allows us to coast past the times when life gets a bit tougher.  A smile and a laugh helps keep us child-like in our hearts, helps keep us young.  Remembering to take time out to play once in a while keeps us from getting so serious that we're not enjoying our lives.  There are times when we have to work hard, there are times when we have to trudge through uncomfortable or difficult situations, but it is the smile we maintain that allows us to be better people regardless of what we face.

Now don't get me wrong.  I don't mean we should all walk around grinning like idiots.  But I do honestly believe in the power of a positive outlook.  I do believe in the magic of playtime.  And I believe that we only get one spin on this ball of rock.  If we don't take advantage of every moment given to us, there are no do-overs.  So I guess my advice amounts to telling a child to stay a child for as long as they can, even if that just means being a child at heart.  Being a grownup isn't all it's cracked up to be, and there are plenty of us grownups that do it all wrong.

Because I'm having such a ball with this A to Z challenge, I also want to take this opportunity to use a second C word.  I just hit 200 followers, so that means its time for a CONTEST!  I'm going to do a random drawing in two weeks time  (on April 17th) and one of my lucky followers will receive:

A $30 EGift Card from Barnes & Noble

It's not a million bucks, but maybe one of you can use it to get a book or two.  I thought about giving the winner a couple books that I own, but that presents problems.  For starters, that would mean parting with my books.  Yes, I'm selfish and don't EVER want to get rid of my books.  Even if I haven't read a particular book in years, I NEVER want to get rid of one.  Secondly, I'd have to cough up money for shipping and right now, $30 is what I can financially do (especially if I don't want the wife yelling at me for spending money LOL).

I don't have a Facebook page nor do I use Twitter, so here are the ways you can increase your chances of winning:

Long-time Follower                                  +2 points

New Follower (i.e. just joined)                 +1 point

Doing the A to Z Challenge                      +1 point

Tell me the one book you're dying            +1 point

to buy with this prize and why.

Total Points For Me                                +1 point

Place your entry in the comments of this post.  All entries will need to be in by midnight on the 16th (Mountain Standard Time/MST).  I'll then do the random drawing on the morning of the 17th and announce the winner.  I wish everyone luck and hope you spread the word.