http://thembisamshaka.com/2009/06/17/sister-swans-helen-little/

SISTER SWANS
By Thembisa Mshaka

Helen Little
Midday Personality
106.7 Lite FM – WLTW



1. What are you working on right now?
I’ve been blessed to expand my broadcast territory and I’m now on over 20 other stations across the country. I can be heard on the weekends in various markets and via the iPhone with the iHeart radio application on the soft rock channel. I’m also working on turning writing into an additional career. And my newest interest is in real estate investing.

2. What book(s) are you reading?
Tax Wise Business Ownership by Toby Mathias, Zero Debt by Lynette Khalfani-Cox , The Bible

3. Share something you do for work that’s harder than it looks.
My work isn’t really hard at all. And when you love what you do even the stuff that is hard, isn’t as hard. Probably one of the biggest challenges is explaining to listeners how the music is picked and programmed on the radio station. Many people still thing that the person they hear on the microphone is the one that picks the music and most often it isn’t.

4. Describe a moment of sweet vindication.
I’m motivated by people who think I’m not capable. I love being told I “can’t” do something. Early in my career a consultant at the station where I was working told me in our first meeting, “I don’t know why the PD hired you. You don’t sound like nothing.” Instead of correcting him and saying “No, it should be you don’t sound like anything,” I just worked hard and prove him wrong. Many years later I was working in New York and I got to pull the feathers from his mouth.

It was also said to me when I was working in Dallas TX, “What makes you think you can get a job in New York? Everyone wants to be in New York.” Well, actually I didn’t because I didn’t like snow. But I’m still here and they aren’t. And I still don’t like snow!

5. What’s the most dangerous aspect of the waters you navigate?
I’m very opinionated so keeping it to myself at times is important. Also, having a clear understanding of the business of radio as it is TODAY. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of old thinking. But the reality is that it’s a new world and the consumer has dramatically changed since the onset of my career.

6. Name two places you call home.
Bucks County Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

7. Who are your influences?
My parents and my siblings. I had great examples at home.

8. What is your favorite creative food?
Learning! Yummy! I swallow it whole! I love learning something new and can get a little greedy with it at times. I’m stuffing myself with knowledge on real estate investing. It’s deliciously fascinating. Also writing. I love words. Aside from being tasty they can say so much it you know how to use them and take advantage of the vast variety of them we have. I also like fried chicken and watermelon. LOL!

9. What is your guilty pleasure?
Real estate, people watching and making up their stories while observing them, driving very fast,my little patio garden of fresh vegetables, and SMILEY FACES! OMG I love them!!!!!!!!

Links:
www.1067LiteFM.com/pages/onair/helenlittle.html
www.helenrlittle.blogspot.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/helenrlittle
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Helen-Little/56327204685?sid=8a6ba81708e38be26953593bf1e259c2&ref=search

Flight Deck by Peter Waldner on Creators.com - Click for a little radio humor!

A Happier Mother's Day!

I was asked by a younger family member whose Mother recently passed how to spend Mother’s Day. I replied by saying spend it with other people and their Mother or spend it alone depending on what makes you feel at peace. After thinking about it I realized that I needed to swallow my own pill. So I spent Mother’s Day doing some of the things my Mother loved to do. Yes, I was invited to share the day with others but I didn’t want the reminder that I was a bench warmer and could only be a spectator from the sideline. So I politely declined and had the most wonderful glorious time both honoring and remembering my Mother!

It was a beautiful Pennsylvania morning, quite different from a New York or a North Carolina morning, and I made coffee and sipped it on the back deck looking out at the trees whose leaves have returned in full. My Mother loved her coffee. I used to ask her why she drank it for as a child I didn’t quite understand the attraction to the bitter taste. How things have changed! When it comes to coffee, I have become my Mother!

Mom also loved to be outside. It was there she taught us so many of the world’s wonders. After finishing my coffee I decided to take a long walk and revisit the Little Lessons on nature that my Mother taught us. I noted the different trees like the long leaf pine, the birch, and the dogwood trees both pink and white. I remembered the folklore she told us of the dogwood and why it no longer grows to be a tall and sprawling tree as well as the story hidden in its beautiful flower. She loved flowers. They lined the sidewalk that lead to the front steps of the home I grew up in and mirrored the flower bed in front of the big picture window filled with buttercups and snap dragons.


Perched in the trees and accompanying me along the way were the robin and the sparrow that she taught us how to identify and of course her and my favorite fellow in red, the cardinal. Not only did she teach us what they looked like she would point out what they sounded like including the haunting whippoorwill and the nocturnal owl.

Momma liked the country and the quiet that usually comes as a part of the package. But then again, having six kids may have had something to do with the desire for peace and quiet. And whereas I was an eager participant in the mini science lectures that included geography, biology, and astronomy, it was our chemistry that would often be opposites like protons and electrons. She would say left and I would want to go right. The fullness of life in a ranch house in Salisbury, North Carolina was enough for her. Not me though, I had to escape and find the biggest, the brightest, and the loudest place I could find. Her preferred stage was not nearly big enough for my imagination which she encouraged me to have and the bigger the better. Now I do my best to mimic the serenity of Salisbury with Serenity House in Yardley, Pennsylvania.


My Mother was also quick to be found reading and writing. So this is my writing part and I read one of the most memorable passages that she would recite to us from her favorite book, The Holy Bible. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight O LORD, my Strength and my Redeemer.” It’s from the book of Psalms (19:14) and was one of the many scriptures she used to teach us growth and character. She would also recite poetry to us and Paul Lawrence Dunbar was a mutual favorite. “Little brown baby wif sparklin’ eyes, come to yo’ pappy an’ set on his knee.” I can still hear her deliver it with such wondrous expression as if she were channeling the poet himself.

But the one thing that my Mother loved and shared with me in our own unique way was painting and drawing. She was gifted with the brush and even painted me as a child. She called me Pocahontas, her little Indian princess and created a likeness on canvas of me with two long braids on the side of my head, no headband though! She wanted more than anything for me to pursue this talent and to utilize this gift as I inherited her ability to almost photograph with a pencil, pastel, or paint brush. She wanted me to pursue art as a career and would remind me that I was born on Norman Rockwell’s birthday.

My passion was music so I went off chasing another art form. She thought it was cool that I was on the radio and always supported whatever I chose to do but she wanted so much for me to be an artist as it is a rare gift. I never will forget when I called to tell her that I got the job as the Program Director at a radio station in New York City. I was on a three way call with my younger sister and I was so excited to tell her, “Ma, I just got a job as the program director in the number one market!” And she said to me, “Oh, so you are a secretary now! That’s nice.” Needless to say I never lived that one down with my sister and I probably would have enjoyed being a secretary more!

Although it was my intent to paint or draw today, I didn’t. I’ve always and still struggle with being intimidated by this talent so I opted to express my artistic vision with the lens and not the brush. And the one thing I can say most about my mother aside from being kind, loving, generous, beautiful, brilliant, talented, funny, encouraging, strong, supportive, and patient; she was very understanding. So perhaps next Mother’s Day I’ll use paint instead of the pen and put my day on canvas. Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy!

Be Numb to Dumb!

Don't let petty stuff bother you. Become numb to the dumb stuff and don't let it penetrate your spirit.

Negativity?
Dumb.
Gossip?
Dumb.
Jealousy?
Dumb.
Pettiness?
Dumb.

But then again so is self doubt and a lack of confidence. Why wouldn't you be your biggest champion and support? Numb it when that nagging negative inner critic tries to convince you that you are less than the star you are intended to be! When you tell your self negative message who needs others! That's less work for them!

Numb the dumb both internally and externally. Focus on choosing to feel the good in your life. After all, it is your choice!

Back To Center

by Helen R. Little

Life is an interesting journey. If you pay attention along the way everything you need to make this journey fruitful is right in front of you. With all of excitement of the plans you have for yourself a clear message should stand in the forefront of your thinking. You can't do it alone. God wants your attention. He puts situations in front of you to get you to acknowledge and turn to Him.

Today, and each morning tell Him THANK YOU for waking you up. Give thanks for life if nothing else. The message that rings true in times like these is to live your life differently. Make better choices. That's the only way your dreams and plans and goals will be fulfilled.

Think good thoughts. Thoughts are things. Your thoughts and words in particular are SO powerful. Be conscious of the messages you put out there. Good thoughts for good measure.

You are blessed with a strong will and a powerful presence. Shape that power in a positive way. Think and will good things for yourself and others. Ask, believe, and receive. Ask for what you want. Believe that it will be given to you. And be open and prepared to receive!

Part of my purpose is to share this with you. Your trials are about shaping something good out of something challenging. For that which does not break you will only make you stronger.So how does one do this? By getting centered, by leaning on and learning from those strong and positive people around you. By not ignoring the messages that God is sending you. He does have BIG plans for you. But he wants you to slow it down, pay attention, and come back to the center.

And where is the center?

It's Him.

Little-Ideas! Dream Into Action

How do we find our way from dreams of success to reality? Here are some questions to ask yourself to hel discover your answer.

What motivates you?

What are you most passionate about?

What job would you do for free?

Ten Qualities for Success and Growth

1. Integrity
2. Passion
3. Determination
4. Focus
5. Initiative
6. Positive Thinking
7. Quest for Knowledge
8. Confidence
9. Faith
10. Gratitude

Action Steps to Get There

-Research! Always learn as much as you can about your field of choice
-Ask questions
-Read books on your field of choice
-Study people who have been successful in your field of choice
-Network with people in your field of choice
-Picture yourself doing what it is you dream of
-Create visualization pieces to help you see your dream
-Set achievable goals with time lines
-Start working on a plan of how you will achieve your goals
-Never stop learning
-Practice patience
-Give back

Summary

Life is all about choices! We choose what we think, what we do, who we spend our time with, where we go and what we want. Make smart choices. Believe in yourself and have faith that things will work out the way they are supposed to.

AND DREAM BIG!

Kira The Butterfly

by Helen R. Little

I give every opportunity to
Love me
But don’t blink an eye
I’m a butterfly
And will be soon
To pass by
On a breeze
To more colorful flowers
And stronger trees

I give every possibility to
Endear me
But take time to satisfy
I’m a butterfly
And flight calls me
So I justify
My movement
Fluttering wherever fancy invites me

I give every occasion to
Engage me
And hope that you try
I’m a butterfly
Who is resting
While I verify
If this nectar is
As unfeigned as it is sweet

I give every authorization to
Possess me
But you testify
I’m a butterfly
And sequestering me
Would only amplify
Why it is that
I’m a butterfly to begin with

Mother's Day Therapy

Toward the end of April I noticed a marked difference in my mood. I started to feel agitated, weirded out, edgy, and curt. I wasn't sure why until a friend of mine help me to identify that on more than one occasion I had mentioned my dread for the upcoming hallmark holiday intended to sell us more stuff under the admirable guise of honoring our Mothers and a month later our Fathers.

You see, I'm an adult orphan. My father died decades ago when I was 15 but this is my first motherless mother's day. For the weeks prior I kept playing commercials on my radio show and promoting station activities that were on our website that are centered around the celebration of mothers. I no longer have one. Everyday for 5 and half hours I was reminded of that fact by sixty or thirty seconds of mini theatrics hawking everything from jewelry to electric toothbrushes (go figure) to flowers and candy. Meanwhile I was being sold grief and the reminder that perhaps over the last nine months or so that I hadn't fully let go of the pain or the loss. And to top it off, in another month I've got to be reminded all over again how truly orphaned I am. Good times...

I'm a terminally happy person so anything that ruffles my smiley face disposition is unwanted and unwelcome. Being from a large family my first course of action was to turn to my siblings only to find out that sharing with them only made me more unhappy because we all happened to be in the same space. Quickly I disconnected from that sad-fest to salvage any hope for overcoming the overwhelming feeling of sorrow and sat in the midst of what to do now?

Cry. Read. Cry. Write. Cry. And then cry some more. Where was my faith and leaning on for understanding during all this? Oh, it was there as I acknowledged that I was in this state for a reason and didn't curse it, discount it, or try to ignore it. It is what it is and has great purpose.

I also can't discount conversations with friends that still have their Moms. But it wasn't until I spoke with someone who buried his Mother a few years ago and within a year buried his younger brother that I started to see things differently. His Father had passed over twenty years ago and they were the ONLY family he had left. He was a family of one. Not even a dog or cat.

Ouch.

All of those forms of dealing with my space benefited me in a different fashion. Crying was a cleanser. Writing was a release. And reading was an intake of information that soothe the raw soreness of it all. And I perused all different types of literature but it was the story from the Los Angeles Times about a book written by Jeanne Safer that made the greatest impact on my attempts to emerge from this week with dryer eyes and at least a half a box of tissue. Safer encourages adult orphans to see their way through their sadness on into the freedom to be your truest self sans parents.

OK, I'll try it. And I'll admit it's not the easiest task I've ever taken on but it does allows me to develop yet another perspective on being too old for the orphanage or to be adopted.

So to those of you that have lost a parent, I hope my sharing helps

when you still hurt. To those who still have Mom and or Dad

around, cherish and enjoy that gift. And to those that are celebrating this Sunday with a Mother or as a Mother, have a Happy Mother's Day!

Spend Wisely

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent." - Carl Sandburg

Life is like a pocket full of coins, each chapter, each episode, each moment a round shiny piece of precious currency. We are born with unlimited change. We learn how or teach ourselves to believe it is limited and often times waste it or harbor it. Everyday a coin is dropped in time’s vending machine whether we choose to spend our change or not.

When the number of coins appears to dwindle due to a lack of awareness of how limitless our spending power is, we panic and look to all kinds of sources to help preserve our account balance. However, it doesn’t matter the amount of coins you have but what you spend them on, how you regard them, and the investments you make in the time you have here on earth.

Take control of your coinage by not controlling it at all. Give it to the Master Investor to advise you on how to spend it. God is like a Financial Analyst who knows the best investments for the coins of our lives. He gave us an allowance at birth and ALLOWS us to spend it however we choose.

Change is a big part of life. The surface of this paper changes with each letter I type. How will you spend your change? How will you invest your coins? Who will you have manage your portfolio? What kind of return do you expect? Make the choice to choose wisely and put your change, your coins, your days here in capable, trusted hands for guidance. Only you can choose how yours will be spent.

I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag

An engaging story was shared with me by a colleague that penetrated my soul. He lost the father that he had not seen nor spoken to for thirty years since the age of ten. He was blessed with the opportunity to connect with his father just before the end. The father that didn't bother lay there in the hospital most certainly aware that this was his last glimpse at his extremely successful son who was emotionally unplugged from the man who gave him life. It was understandable that thirty years with no contact could create such a scenario.

Following his father's passing, days after his farewell visit, my friend attended the funeral. At the full military ceremony the oldest son was presented with the tri-folded American flag that had draped his father's coffin. The deceased was a veteran who had fought for his country and returned from war to a more monumental fight - the one in which the people he protected had no idea of how to protect him. It was at that moment as the rifleman's twenty-one gun salute was firing and the flag rested in his lap did my dear friend pledge allegiance. His allegiance is to making a difference, to making a positive impact, to freeing himself from casting judgment, and to choice, otherwise known as the still small voice of his maker.

Where is your allegiance? What flag rest in your lap that you are prepared to proudly fly at full mast? Identify it and use it as a reminder of these actions.

LISTEN.
LIVE.
LOVE.
TODAY.

Now is never too late!

Be The Next You!

It's not unusual to hear someone say, "I'm want to be the next Beyonce, or the next Angelina Jolie." Whereas it's admirable to acknowledge the success these accomplished individuals have achieved and it's equally honorable to be influenced by their trek, one can never truly be the next anyone other than themselves which entails knowing who that is.

Aspire to be the next YOU! As I look at myself, I can reflect on the evolution of the many versions of me that have led to who I am today. And I'm tirelessly working on being more powerful and more dynamic as the next Helen Little! Although it's noteworthy to respect and regard the milestones of others as they are absolutely deserving of recognition, see it as just that. Take interest not in being the next great someone else but in the greatness of yourself!

Each of us is a unique creation. Your path is YOUR path and only YOU can truly be you in all your singular splendor! You may do some of the things that those who have paved the path ahead of you have done. Perhaps you may even do it better! But the next Oprah Winfrey and the next Michael Jordan can only be achieved my Oprah and Michael.

Focus on being you and being the greatest version of you. This is how we honor our Maker. We do, become, and give our utmost as a way to show appreciation and glory for the individual talents and gifts we are each blessed with. Certainly you are not to be reduced to an assembly line edition of someone else with the slight possibility of an upgrade making you the newer, improved version of them.

You have the specific requirement to be you. No one else can fulfill that purpose. And that purpose requires you to be your most outstanding YOU! So as you work toward growing and moving forward on your life journey, look to impress the Creator and the world by being the next YOU!

WAIT! A Beginner's Guide To Patience

I have not always been the most patient person in the world and until recently did not have a lot of experience on the topic. I’m one who always hated to wait for anything. A bus, an answer, a desire, a slowpoke, you name it I was not interested in waiting for it. And yes, I'd heard the saying that “good things come to those who wait." But I was doing quite nicely with good things coming in a hurry or on demand and definitely without a patient pause. So why should I wait? Now is what’s important right? At least according to many philosophies that I had delved into. It was all about the moment. And the moment didn't say "Wait" it said "Now"! So I was a total supporter of Now. But Now started to stall, stand still, no...grind to a screeching halt! Huh? What happened? Let’s get this thing moving again. Where are the jumper cables? I gotta get back on the road of life quick, fast and in a hurry.

Uh, that would be no.

I started to hit roadblock after roadblock, wall after wall, obstacle after obstacle. Only to be knocked down on my rear and have the faint whisper of that dreaded four letter word softly spoken in my ear, “Wait…” Talk about an unhappy sister. I was known for not waiting on anything or anybody. I was privileged. I didn’t have to wait. I was quick. I didn’t have to wait. I knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do so what did I need to wait for? Waiting was for the indecisive. Waiting was for the weak. I was a go-getter. There’s no waiting for go-getters. We go get! We don’t wait. For years this was my reality and my existence. From drive-thrus to EZ pass to fast food to ATM’s I was encouraged by convenience to wait even less. Microwaves, instant breakfast, modular homes, overnight success, fed ex, pop and fresh rolls, life in the fast lane!

Well, what happens if I wait and it never comes? Wait could bring disappointment and uncertainty. Then through the wait something better than what was expected comes along instead.

Hmmm, ok...I could get into that.

Wait is not about doing nothing. It’s about setting things in action and then allowing the results to come. It’s a mix of choice and consequence based on the options and actions we take. It’s about being open for life to take its course based on the paths we choose to follow. It’s about patience and perseverance. It’s about determination and dedication. It’s about a joint effort between man and God to uncover life’s treasures and desires. It’s about tolerance and resisting temptation. It’s about action and non-action. Every action has a course and a reaction. Anything worth having is worth working and waiting for.

So what do we do while we wait? We enjoy the present. We revel in the moment. We are grateful for every breath we inhale and exhale. We feed our creativity. We help someone in need. We pray and talk to God about our wait. We love ourselves. We love others. And then we wait some more.