The Storyteller

By Whispering Seas

My grandchildren don't often visit; and when they do, I have to compete with their electrical contraptions for attention. I say this with some remorse because during their absence I work-over thoughts about my life that I hoped to be educational for them.

Not that my life has been unique; but rather, living in West Virginia during the 1950's my life can be described as having been common. The educational value of my stories comes from the impassioned embellishing of a grandmother's hindsight.

It is said that looking back gives the best perspective; and I must confess that often I have to work my focus forward, as my mind has wandered to the rear-view mirror. It is why one day I sat at the kitchen table, waiting for the tea to brew, that I decided to write a book.

I must confess that it took me many "sitting at the table" before I put the pen to paper. The first paragraph I wrote was days in coming, and then I realized I had written it so many times before. It was not until I focused for whom I was writing that stories began to unfold. There is no one more interested in what I have to tell than myself.

Words spilled unencumbered from my thoughts onto the paper. Once I got the inspiration, I did not want grammar to interfere. At first I didn't worry about the punctuation, or even spelling. It was not until I reviewed what was written that I noticed the rambling. I then added commas so I could read out loud without running out of breath, and periods to slow the story so I could fully develop an image.

I am an old woman and it is why I have so much to say. I am not sure how many chapters I will get written, or even if I will come to an end, but this I can heartily tell you: I am having a wonderful time recounting my life that I once thought was not unique.

The proverbial glow

By Bertha
I can tell you that I never saw the proverbial "glow" reflected from my face in the course of my first pregnancy. After spending much money and time plastering creams on my face to encourage it to shine, I decided the proverb was like the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," a motivation to keep you going "against all hope."

I began with recurrent vomiting that prompted me to get medical attention, and thereby learn I was pregnant. Even when everyone said it was natural, I swore my guts were being ripped from the inside.

Then there was being bloated and trying to recall when had been my last good bowel movement. I eventually thought to record these events on a calendar I kept secret.

Later in the pregnancy I became swollen with retained water, and my fingers appeared more befitting of "Miss Piggy." In time, I had no recourse but to cut my wedding ring off. My legs were not spared and eventually looked like sacks of flour hung to ferment naturally.

Pain at the hips my doctor tried to explain as the wisdom of nature, expanding my pelvis to accommodate the growing head of my child. With no patience for sanctimony, all I could relate to was my grandma's arthritic posture.

I almost broke down in tears when the doctor described how my eight pound son would slip down such a small orifice. God, it had hurt even when my husband had claimed my virginity.

After nine months of my bodily contortions and distortions, I waddled gleefully to the birthing station, like a mad woman being taken to the gallows.

I would have thought 24 hours of pushing into a funnel as ridicule, but I could think of nothing else than the ecstasy at delivering my healthy son. When I first held him, his eyes stared back at mine as if searching for assurance. I moved his mouth to my engorged nipple and, with his lips pressed to my flesh, he closed his eyes and vigorously suckled. The moist pull of his lips assured me I would be a good mother.

When he is two, I plan on giving my son a sister.

Not all that is worth having can easily be achieved. That is why at determined2.com our members can participate in forums, and share their hardships in the process of achieving their goal.

Incremental Capitalism

By Miss Penny

Peter Thiel, key note speaker at the 2009 NYC Venture Summit, suggested America's recent economic strains can be attributed to capitalism's acceptance of "incremental growth" in technology. I would have preferred a hedge fund manager to regret his industry's guilt in our present calamity; but blindness to personal liability for one's profitable actions is not unique to those in the financial markets.

The exponential growth that Mr. Thiel prefers (and capitalist seek of their investments), in my opinion, is the fundamental source of the greed that resulted in the debt we are now required to pay.

We only need to look at nature for daily displays in the power and beauty of incremental growth. It is with the patience of the increment that the gray of winter is unraveled into the colors of spring; and the passion of our sexual pleasures become manifest with the birth of a child.

On the other hand, the explosive forces of Mr. Thiel's exponential growth have recently revealed catastrophic "bubble markets." The effect of these unbridled capitalist forces, that we now struggle to correct, hint of the natural theorem that destructive energy tests the viability of incremental growth. Again, we only need to look at nature for some guidance: genetically and incrementally engineered through the millenniums, an acorn shell shields the seed that will reforest a fire-scorched land.

Incremental growth is the progress of man through history. It is the patient and beautiful power of the increment that sustains rewarding social and biological evolution. At http://determined2.com, we have applied this principle to personal development: for only at one step at a time can we achieve our goals.

Trust and due diligence

By: Whispering Seas


It may have been my wish to grow up like the hometown queen waving from on top of the stagecoach; or the horses that appeared to shimmer with the ripple of their muscles pulling the carriage down the Memorial Day parade route. In either case, since then I have held in high esteem the bank that advertised its services on the side of the stagecoach.

Many life adventures later, and because of a loan from the same bank, I managed to claim my independence with the purchase of my first home. I hope you can see why, with full trust, I went to the same bank to refinance the mortgage and consolidate my bills.

As good as I am in running the credit card tab; I am bad in reviewing financial details. When I signed the refinance papers, I placed full trust on the venerated bank. I took the loan thinking it provided for my best financial option.

I am sure you can guess where this story is going (I wish you could tell me how it would end). A few months after the refinance, I learned my trust had been misplaced. Because of the exorbitant interest rate and the added fees, the refinance loan is too costly for me to afford a retirement.

I am telling you this story not for sympathy, but to encourage everyone to remember the due diligence we often misplace to blind-trust. In Determined2.com we provide for goals that assist our members to find the internet links for the insight to better manage your finances.

Miracles in my life

By Whispering Seas

Like for many families, my grown children have been dispersed by job and romance across state lines. I don't often get to see my grandchildren, but reminiscing helps me build a mental volume of stories to share with them when they will visit. I am not an authority on folklore and history, but I do believe in the educational value of a story told at grandma's lap.

One story I recently mentally wrote was inspired by an unintentional challenge proposed by a friend. He suggested that miracles happened only in fairy tales and were a fool's excuse for religion. I am sure you would guess that I have many more issues with my friend, but miracles as fairy tales got my goad.

I can tell you truly that my life will not end in the arms of prince charming; nor was the route to my stately years an easy one. But one thing that certainly keeps me smiling is thinking of all the wonderful things that I have experienced, which I believe to have been miracles.

No parent I have met would ever argue that the greatest of these miracles is the love that overwhelmed them on conceiving a child. Science may have logically interpreted many-a-wonder that had otherwise been perceived a miracle; but one thing science can never measure is a parent's love for his or her children. That this love grows so unconditionally has been my fulfilling life achievement, as much as my most treasured reward…………It is a miracle to feel the love that binds me so eternally to my children.

Family, even with its many modern interpretations, is a gift we must constantly work to preserve. It is for this reason that Determined2.com provides for many goals and internet links that help all our members deal with personal and familial challenges.

Choices and goals in later life

By Whispering Seas

I was recently surprised with a friend's response to a determined2.com survey, in which she equated a static life with a sense of personal satisfaction. Goals, she added, were set when much younger; but now her family had grown and she had only to enjoy them.

When I look back on over 50 years of my life I often find plenty of memories, many that fill my face with smiles and others that mist my eyes with sorrow. In judging the turning points that led to these cherished moments, I now understand that committing to a choice determined the course my emotions would follow. It has since become obvious that the choices I made shared one thing in common; they were grounded by goals I set my life course.

I realize now that the best steps forward are those taken toward where you want to go. Furthermore, a goal is essentially your desired end point, happiness. Reminiscing about all the joys and pains I have experienced makes one lesson evident, that a goal is more likely to be achieved when intelligently evaluated and passionately pursued. This is the focus of determined2.com, to facilitate intelligent goal making and impassion its pursuit through sharing of the adventure (value social networking).

Not often do I second guess the wrong choices I made in my past, but one thing still motivates me in these later years: I hope not to replay a sad tune, "One day I will make changes, and one day I will find happiness." Like Grandma Moses rested her embroidery to color her world at the age of 70, today I will pursuit my happiness. By giving direction and purpose to all the choices I have yet to make, I will continue to believe in my goals as long as I am alive.

Gris'l: Gossip, rumors, and innuendo in Social Media

Determined2.com adds VALUE to Social Networking:

Gris’l: gossip, rumors, and innuendos in social media

Social networks structure the interaction between interrelated individuals. These social webs are generally defined for the purpose of personal gain or shared activity.

By their popularity, Facebook and Twitter have become premier internet social networks, with the participating members’ primary gain being the maintenance and strengthening of established relationships. New social connections are attempted through a referral system of known contacts.

Whether in business circles or social webs, “to stand above the crowd” is a motto to which many members adhere. From its inherent directive, to stand out often results in gossip, rumors and innuendos (Gris’l). In the milieu of internet communication, “gris'l” frequently becomes intertwined with fact.

As “spam” hampers the management of emails, so does “gris’l” makes communication within a social network cumbersome and awkward.

Interactivity within Determined2.com’s social network is enhanced by the commonality of purpose: members participate to attain self growth. Thereby, the temptation to incorporate “gris’l” to stand out is tempered by the reality “you only hurt yourself.”

Determined2.com is developing a VALUE added social network

Determined2.com is a social network service intended to assists its members in achieving personally determined life goals and resolutions. Through the mechanism of blogs, video and photo galleries, members can personally tract their success and review the failures. Our Market-Place is designed to assist in promoting the means by which one chooses to achieve a goal.

The focus of d2 is the enhancement of “self-value.”

• MOTIVATION: define your goal, review your successes, analyze your failures, challenge your course of action
• PROMOTION: display your dreams and let the marketplace affirm its value. Take the steps to achieve success
• SUPPORT: comment on the path others have taken, assist those following the course you're on, or just wave a "High-5"
• PROFIT: choose a low cost option to profit from your content. What you contribute adds value, and opportunity for rewards
• COMMUNITY: become a shareholder and help make D2 grow. Economic success is shared by formula.

Interactivity between similarly engaged site-users will enhance the pursuit of their interests. Through blogs, these users can discuss shared activities, as much as methods by which to overcome those obstacles arising in the process of pursuing their goal.

The majority of d2 services are provided FREE to the user (basic membership); but subscription members seeking extended marketing benefits within the site (premium membership) are also available. An array of other advertising opportunities within the site (sponsorship, banner advertising) are also promoted,

D2 functions with the premise that:

1. goals are achieved by defining the process required to attain it
2. probability of success is enhanced through allies that encourage and guide the progress
3. the acquisition of knowledge empowers the goal seeker