Need a day date? Have Brunch at City Tap House Nashville

in , , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, April 13, 2018
Last Saturday was a date day for the husband and me. We got invited to try a new to us pub in the heart of downtown Nashville in SoBro (South of Broadway) as it’s called locally. We’ve been working hard and haven’t been downtown in months, so this date was special.  If you and your significant other need a day a day date too, read on! Come along with me as I show you how fun and tasty it is to eat and do a little day drinking at City Tap House in Nashville. 

Welcome to City Tap House Nashville:


City Tap House Nashville #ad
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Need a Date Night Movie Pick to stream? Try Superman

in , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Tuesday, December 02, 2025

 Over the long holiday week, my husband and I had a chance to catch up on some movies we’d been wanting to see. We both enjoy watching films, and while we still prefer experiencing them in theaters, we can’t make every screening, so being able to screen new titles at home is a huge plus and makes for a fun date night. Today, I’m sharing my thoughts on Superman.



Superman in Theaters and Available to Stream




Superman movie poster
Courtesy:Warner Bros. Media



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Was Marvel’s The Fantastic Four First Steps a great date night film

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, December 29, 2025

 It’s the last Monday of the year, which is really hard to believe, and this is my last film review for 2025. This is my fourth year as a Music City Film Critics Association member, and it's still an honor to be a member, share twelve or more film reviews here on the blog, and submit my Oscar nominations ballot. That’s up next after my final review is done. Today, I’m sharing my thoughts on The Fantastic Four First Steps.






The Fantastic Four: First Steps- A Great Date Night Film?



The Fantastic Four: First Steps film
Courtesy:  Walt Disney Studios



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Dr Pepper Snapple expands Let’s Play to encourage active lifestyles #DPSBalance #sponsored

in , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, December 18, 2014

I recently had the privilege of being part of a virtual conversation hosted by Dr Pepper Snapple group in partnership with The Motherhood. As part of this blogging group, we learned a great deal about Dr Pepper Snapple and their continued commitment and support of local and/or national programs that encourage active lifestyles. Special thanks to both The Motherhood and Dr Pepper Snapple for sponsoring today’s post. While I will receive compensation for my time, I only share content I feel is of value to you. All opinions are my own. 




DPS beverages



When you read or hear the names Dr Pepper Snapple, you probably think of drinking one of their delicious beverages and with good reason.  I know I love an ice cold glass of Dr Pepper from time to time and I’d be lost if I suddenly couldn’t find a chilled bottle of Snapple Peach ice tea.  With so many drink options available, you probably have a Dr Pepper Snapple product in your home right now. 





DPS Let's Play logo




 About Dr Pepper Snapple Group:
  • The leader in flavored carbonated soft drinks
  •  Sells more than 50 brands of carbonated soft drinks, teas, juices, mixers and other premium beverages
  • Out of our 14 biggest brands, 13 are #1 or #2 in their respective category·6 of top 10 non-cola soft drinks brands in the business
  • 19,000 employees
  • Fortune 500, publicly traded (NYSE:DPS) operations in North America, Caribbean 
  • The DPS R&D is spread across 4 Locations: Plano, Texas (headquarters), St. Louis, Missouri , Irving, Texas (pilot plant) and Mexico City, Mexico


Those are very impressive stats from a business perspective, but I learned so much more about the very heart of the Dr Pepper Snapple group during our hour long conversation.  While we did touch on flavors and fun facts about what goes into making a great tasting beverage, the true focus of our conversation was to share their commitment to healthy lifestyle choices. 


They (DPS) want us, the consumers, parents, teachers, community volunteers and most importantly our kids to know about their take action plan, starting with the 2015 Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) Calories in; Calories out program and industry led changes, commitments and initiatives. 



There’s a lot of information to share, so I will break it down into sections that hopefully will help you come away with a better understanding of this amazing company and brand.




DPS commitment:

"We believe that healthy lives depend on balance, balancing the calories you consume through food & beverages with the calories you burn through physical activity and by supporting local and national programs that encourage active lifestyles and fitness."


DPS Calories In information:  


 “Our initiatives as a company to promote balance reflect a larger commitment by the beverage industry to deliver meaningful solutions to obesity.”




Industry-led Initiatives: 

  • As an industry, we took full-calorie beverages out of schools voluntarily through the School Beverage Guidelines, which have reduced the calories in beverage shipments to schools by more than 90%. 
  • DPS and other leading beverage companies launched the Clear on Calories Initiative: put calorie counts on the fronts of all beverage containers. 
  • Balance Calories Initiative with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Beverage Association goal: reduce the calories consumed in beverages by 20% over the next 10 years by focusing on smaller package sizes, innovation, marketing and distribution of low-and no-calorie beverages. 
  • Mixify: a multi-year national consumer awareness and engagement program by the beverage industry to talk to teens about the importance of balancing what they drink and eat with what they do.




Consumers have been talking, and clearly Dr Pepper Snapple has been listening. I for one am happy to know that the industry is doing all they can to offer healthier beverage options in our schools! 

DPS understands what’s important to us, the consumer and has worked hard towards answering our needs by understanding consumers are diversified! 

For example- men prefer not to purchase low calorie or “diet” beverages, so DPS responded to consumers who want products with only natural sweeteners.  They’ve been testing naturally sweetened versions of Dr Pepper, 7UP and Canada Dry, sweetened with a blend of stevia and sugar, with only 60 calories per 12 oz. serving.

They didn’t forget to improve their juice and tea either. Earlier this year they introduced a line of Mott’s with  bold new flavors that offer 40% less sugar than fruit juices with 100% Daily Value of Vitamin C in three kid-preferred flavors.

And for us Snapple drinkers, they’ve rolled out diet half & half (half lemonade, half iced tea) and this year have been testing a straight up tea, otherwise unflavored, with a touch of sugar and 80 calories per bottle.

All I can say is- Thank you DPS! 


DPS knows we expect great tasting beverages at an affordable price that our packaged for convenience for active, busy lifestyles, especially Moms! They know we don’t want to say no to the beverages our kids ask for, so they are helping with the Calories Out part of their initiative.


“Balance is key, both to fit physical activity into their routine and to have food and beverage choices that have health benefits and are low in calories.”



Calories out: Commitment to Active Play 



Playability with KaBoom!



The Physical Activity Deficit:

  • Only 20% of children live near a park
  • Two-thirds of kids get less than an hour of play a day
  • They’re increasingly time-crunched, with 12 fewer hours of free time per week
  • Disadvantaged inner-city youth participate 40% less in sports and fitness
  • And recreational time is increasingly spent on devices. Kids 8-18 spend an average of 7.5 hours per day on media
  
The consequence of all this is poorer eating and drinking habits and an obesity rate that has tripled! 

DPS says “To help address the decline of active play in communities across the U.S., Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) launched Let’s Play to provide the tools, spaces and inspiration to make play a daily priority.”




Let’s Play: A Meaningful Part of the Solution -DPS has:

•      To date, built or improved 2,000 playgrounds
•      To date, have provided 5 million children with the opportunity to play
•      Worked in partnerships with our retailers and bottlers
•      Involved government officials
•      To date, have engaged more than 2,300 employee volunteers
•      To date, have donated more than 18,000 volunteer hours


I was very impressed with the amount of hours and the overall level of commitment from DPS employees! The Let’s Play program is doing well, in fact, it’s expanded!




Let’s Play timeline and how we can get involved:


Playability let's get #involved and #active!



  •   DPS launched Let’s Play in 2011 with a $15 million three year partnership to build or improve 2,000 playgrounds with KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated promoting active play.
  •  In 2014, DPS and KaBOOM! extended their partnership through 2016 with an additional $10 million commitment from DPS to continue providing kids the active play they need.
  • This year, DPS made a $1 million commitment to Good Sports, a national non-profit dedicated to promoting active play among older children by providing athletic equipment to disadvantaged young people nationwide.


Let’s Play has expanded to include older children who lack the opportunity to participate in organized sports due to the cost of equipment, uniforms and entry fees. I encourage everyone to go to the Let’s Playgrants page, and see what grants are available! By the end of 2016, we will have donated more than $26 million to Let’s Play since we started three years ago.



I left the DPS conversation with a new outlook on the brand and company as a whole and was inspired to visit KaBoom! and Let’s Play to see how I could become active in my own community. I encourage you to do the same.

Before we left our virtual conversation, our merry band of bloggers had decided that a road trip to the DPS facility in Texas was in order so we could walk around and see all the amazing research and development in action and yes, we did ask this question:

What are the 23 flavors in the formula for Dr Pepper? The DPS answer was as interesting and funny: “Only two people in the world know the formula to Dr Pepper. We can’t tell you who they are, but they are not in this room! It’s very, very top secret – that is for sure. “


It is my sincere hope that you have gained a better understanding of Dr Pepper Snapple from my post today and will take a moment to visit them and the Let’s Play sites and then- log off your computer and get outside and play with or without kids!

Happy Holidays!


Please share in comments: Does your community have enough playgrounds? How would you like to see your community improve in this area?  



Disclosure: My thanks to The Motherhood and Dr Pepper Snapple for sponsoring today’s post. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. 
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Mid- Year Progress Report time

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Hello my dear readers. We have made it to the third day of June, 2014. I shake my head at this phenomenon, not quite believing it. Time really does march on whether we want it to or not doesn’t it?

 As I was flipping yet another calendar page this morning, I started thinking about all my hopes and plans I had at the beginning of this year and I thought it would be a great time to check my progress before the slower pace of summer takes over.

I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions- but I do make goals and plans and I’m betting you do some sort of evaluation and dreaming for the bright and shiny new year as well.


I’m not going to share my list here, but I will touch on a few key subjects I’ve been paying attention to this year and give myself a grade.





1. Work smarter, not harder.  When I wrote that on a fresh piece of paper way back in January, my goal was to be more mindful in each task and not allow myself to be pulled from one task to another and lose my work flow.   

Grade to date: A


2. Make time for offline pursuits.  As most Bloggers will attest, blogging requires a lot of online time. From posting, to uploading photos to sharing on social channels- there is a lot of moving parts, most all online.

Grade to date: B-


3. Take better care of myself.  Running two small businesses is a sedentary lifestyle that I thought I had a handle on, but the mirror and my activity level said otherwise. I wanted to feel fit again. Okay- maybe not Jillian Michael's fit, but my body type fit again.

Grade to date: C


My mid-year progress report isn’t stellar, but it isn’t all bad either. I see lots of positive progress and room for growth.

Best of all- I see that I still have time. Instead of feeling bad that today is the 154th day of the year and I’m not knocking it out of the park- I prefer to think there is still time to accomplish my goals since there is 205 days until Christmas and 211 days until we start a shiny new year.

If you are feeling rushed, stressed and pulled in too many directions at this point in the year, maybe you should schedule a mid-year progress report time with yourself. Find a quite spot and honestly assess your point in life today. I bet you’ll come away with some pretty solid grades as well.


 Please share in comments- do you make new year resolutions?

Here’s to a happy, stress free summer for all!


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I Streamed Sinners on HBO Max: Was It A Good Date Night Option? My Review

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, July 23, 2025

 I missed the opportunity to go to the screener of Sinners in April, and with “Maycember” being a real thing, Sinners fell off my radar for a bit. I need to watch as many films as possible since I’m a member of Nashville’s film critics association, and was happy to see two recent box office films available for streaming. Today, I’m discussing Sinners, available to stream on HBO Max. Did I think it was a good date night option? I’ll let you know and try not to add any spoilers.



Evil Is Waiting!


Sinners Now Streaming on HBO Max
Courtesy:Warner Bros. Media 


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Love floral scented candles? Try these two at your next summer Gathering

in , , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, June 27, 2024

Summer is in full swing, so I’ve been busy switching out some home decor items to better reflect the season. Think lighter blankets and bedding, decorative pillows and placemats and an often overlooked item, candles! I change out my candles seasonally. If you love floral scented candles, you may want to try these two at your next summer gathering. 



Floral Scented Candles for Summer:




Floral Scented Candles for Summer

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F1 The Movie is Action-Packed from Start to Finish

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, December 11, 2025

 Last week, I shared how much my husband and I enjoyed streaming Superman for our date night, and today, I’m sharing another film we enjoyed watching, F1 The Movie. If you like action and/or sports movies with a great plot, this one may be for you. 



F1 The Movie is Action-Packed from Start to Finish 



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The Devil Wears Prada 2 A Sequel Worth Seeing

in , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, May 29, 2026

 Last weekend was full of Memorial Day and birthday fun for me. I got to spend time with my family, eat delicious food at our annual summer kickoff BBQ, and my husband took me to see The Devil Wears Prada 2 on a special date. I am a huge fan of the original The Devil Wears Prada film, and my husband has watched it with me countless times, so it was sweet that he wanted to share in the experience of attending the sequel with me.



The Devil Wears Prada 2 in Theaters Now!




The Devil Wears Prada 2 display at local theater

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Day by Day Chronological Bible Giveaway

in , , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, January 18, 2019

Happy Friday my friends and welcome to my first giveaway of 2019. Hosting giveaways is something I truly love doing and today’s giveaway is simply perfect for the new year- a newly released bible that puts a fresh spin on how we interact with the bible in our daily lives. I think you’ll like it as much as I do, so read on to learn more, read my review and of course, enter the giveaway!


Day by Day Chronological Bible Giveaway #ad #csbBibleL3

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Giveaway: The Flirtation Experiment Book: Put Spark in your everyday Marriage

in , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Sunday, February 13, 2022

With Valentine’s Day arriving on Monday this year, I know a lot of married couples are celebrating this weekend, instead of trying to juggle a weekday date night. In fact, my husband and I just had a great day date and plan to have a simple evening at home of Monday. To some this may sound boring- but trust me, if done correctly, you can still find ways to add romance and a little spark to these at home celebrations. If you need a refresh on the art of flirting like you did when you were dating your spouse, this book is for you. Read on to learn about The Flirtation Experiment and how to win a copy.


Spark up your Marriage!



The Flirtation Experiment book



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Friday Faves: Top Ten Blog Posts of 2025

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, January 16, 2026

 Happy Friday, dear readers. I’m excited to combine two fun and popular topics in today’s post. Friday's Faves and a look back on the top ten blog posts here on the blog for 2025.  I’m thrilled to see that my film coverage had the most interaction and views, with four film posts making the top ten. Next was food and drink, with three posts, and a three-way tie with one each for books, home and garden, and Nashville. 


My Top Ten Blog Posts of 2025:



My Top Ten Blog Posts of 2025:


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Elemental: New Disney & Pixar Film No Spoiler Review

in , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, June 12, 2023

On Thursday evening, June 8, 2023, an amazing thing happened for my family of four. We all managed to clear our schedules and enjoy a film together. Something that hasn’t happened in quite a while, since our daughters are young adults. Even more amazing is that we were excited to see the press screening of Elemental, the new Disney & Pixar animated film coming to theaters this Friday, June 16, 2023. 



 Elemental in Theaters in Real D -3D June 16, 2023!


Elemental: New Disney & Pixar Film

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November and Netflix? Win a $200 Netflix E-Gift Card open Worldwide!

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, November 02, 2022

Happy November friends. Here in the south, we may stat this month with mild days and nights, bt by Thanksgiving, it's turned cold and has us all wanting to stay in and get get cosy. I've teamed up with the fab group of bloggers with Review Wire Media to bring you this giveaway you can enter daily. I can't think of a better time to than November to host a $200 Netflix E-Gift Card giveaway, so you'll always have something fun to watch, especially if your hosting family over the holidays.



Win a $200 Netflix E-Gift Card open Worldwide



Netflix e-card giveaway


Enter for your chance to win a $200 Netflix e-Gift Card! This giveaway is open Worldwide only where permitted, age 18 and older. This giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST on 11.30.22. This giveaway is hosted by Chatty Patty’s Place and The Review Wire. 


Please Read the Terms and Conditions:

All entries will be verified—only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. Any person who has won a prize (or whose household has won a prize) in any promotion sponsored by the Sponsor in the past thirty (30) days before this contest start date is not eligible to win a prize in this contest. Entrants who have created social accounts purely to enter Competitions or Sweepstakes will not be eligible to win. All social accounts used must be public.

The winner will be chosen randomly and contacted via email. A reply to the winning email is required within 48 hours before a new winner is chosen. Void where prohibited by law. One person entering per household, please.


Win It:


Netflix e-gift card giveaway







Good Luck!



Please share in comments: What is the last thing you watch on Netflix?



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Christmas Jars A Movie Review and DVD Giveaway

in , , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, October 31, 2019

Happy Halloween and Merry Christmas! I have never had the opportunity to meld these two holidays together before, but I had to share this feel good movie before it opens in theaters Monday! I just finished watching the screener provided to me by Lev3l Digital as part of their blogger program and I in the merriest of moods! Are you ready for the holidays? Then read on to learn all about this family friendly movie and how you can win it on DVD.



                         Christmas Jars Movie #ad #giveaway

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The Back to School Countdown Begins

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, July 08, 2013

Happy Monday to you! Did you have a great fourth of July weekend? I hope so.  

We had a most excellent weekend, taking a less-is-more approach to it all.  We didn’t plan a thing, except to be together, cook good food and have fun.

This approach worked so well, that we all agreed that our 4 day weekend was like a much needed vacation.  Our souls needed this break in the action and we aren’t even a fast track family. 

It’s a good thing that we had this respite, because now there are only 32 days left of summer vacation. Oh my. The powers that be (the school board here in middle TN) have decided that a start date in the middle of some of the hottest days of summer would be A-Okay. 


bus

Pitching a fit is a waste of time. Planning now for a smooth back to school transition in our home is a much safer bet. 



Here is my plan of action:


1. Start the bedtime routine change now.

 If you are like us and take a more lenient summer bedtime routine, it’s time to nip it in the bud.  Don’t wait until there is a week or two before school starts or everybody will be tired and crabby all day.  Parents: this means we have to go to bed earlier too. No more late night TV.

2.  Set a dinnertime.

Make sure dinner time is early enough that food is digested before bedtime, but not so early that your family has powered through what they ate and need a snack right when they should be brushing their teeth. This is especially tricky for me with a growing teen and tween. They are always hungry! (Yes, girls are always hungry too at this stage.) I aim for 6:30pm to 6:45pm.

3. Clean out their closets.

 Do this early, if you haven’t already AND make them try on every piece they want to keep. With my girls, I go one step further and ask them to see how many outfits they can make. This is a true sanity saver when you are back to school  clothes shopping and they are looking at all the cute jeans when you know they really need tops.

4. Clean out or prep our drop zones.

Every family is different, with a different system in place, but I have found that having the kids place their backpacks, incoming papers, permission slips etc. in specified places daily works for us.
For instance, backpacks must be cleaned out, repacked for the next day and be sitting by the front door for the morning. Period.

5. Listen now.

School can be stressful with some years more stressful than others. Both my daughters happen to be entering a grade that is particularly stressful: 9th and 5th respectively. You can probably relate to the freshman nerves, but may be wondering about little 5th graders. Trust me: this is the year the cattiness and cliques start.  I have set aside private time and chatted with both my girls about going back to school.

They were very illuminating conversations that helped me map out this first plan of action, but I know it won’t be the last this year.  I still need to plan my back to school supply shopping strategy and then there is this biggie to think about:

there is only 169 days until Christmas. 



When do your kids go back to school?


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Hello September: Win a $200 e-Gift card to Target

in , , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, September 01, 2022

Even though August was so very hot and humid here in middle Tennessee, it turned out to be a great month for me and my family. I'm hoping all that good will continue as we welcome September and my eleventh year of blogging here. To start the month off on a high note, I've partnered with the Review Wire Media team again to bring you a $200 e-Gift card to Target. Read on to learn more.


Hello September!


Hello September Acorn and leaves

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Four Words That Make Life Worthwhile by Jim Rohn

in , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I wanted to share this article by Jim Rohn today because it has such a powerful message.
 It helped validate my efforts to date and put me back on course.
 My Plan has always been to earn a part time living from home while balancing the work/family dynamic.
Over the last few months I've been trying out additional income streams along with my direct sales business.
While I won't call them failures, I will say I didn't get a good return on my investment. For the most part, I felt I wasn't working at optimum levels on any project.
 I found this saying, recently used by the Co-Founder of Willow House to be very fitting:
"You can't ride two horses at the same time".
So what's a WAHM to do? Live, learn, laugh, and pick one horse to ride! My choice?  Willow House! Afterall, I did receive a commission check from them this week!  Lesson learned.

I hope this article inspires you as much as it did me. 

Four Words That Make Life Worthwhile by Jim Rohn
Over the years, as I've sought out ideas, principles and strategies to life's challenges, I've come across four simple words that can make living worthwhile.

First, life is worthwhile if you LEARN. What you don't know will hurt you. You have to have learning to exist, let alone succeed. Life is worthwhile if you learn from your own experiences-negative or positive.
We learn to do it right by first sometimes doing it wrong. We call that a positive negative. We also learn from other people's experiences, both positive and negative. I've always said that it is too bad failures don't give seminars. Obviously, we don't want to pay them, so they aren't usually touring around giving seminars. But that information would be very valuable. We would learn how someone who had it all, messed it up. Learning from other people's experiences and mistakes is valuable information because we can learn what not to do without the pain of having tried and failed ourselves.
We learn by what we see, so pay attention. We learn by what we hear, so be a good listener. Now, I do suggest that you should be a selective listener. Don't just let anybody dump into your mental factory. We learn from what we read, so learn from every source. Learn from lectures. Learn from songs. Learn from sermons. Learn from conversations with people who care. Always keep learning.

Second, life is worthwhile if you TRY. You can't just learn. Now you have to try something to see if you can do it. Try to make a difference. Try to make some progress. Try to learn a new skill. Try to learn a new sport. It doesn't mean you can do everything, but there are a lot of things you can do if you just try. Try your best. Give it every effort. Why not go all out?

Third, life is worthwhile if you STAY. You have to stay from spring until harvest. If you have signed up for the day or for the game or for the project, see it through. Sometimes calamity comes; then it is worth wrapping it up and that's the end. But just don't end in the middle. Maybe on the next project you pass, but on this one, if you signed up, see it through.

And lastly, life is worthwhile if you CARE. If you care at all, you will get some results. If you care enough, you can get incredible results. Care enough to make a difference. Care enough to turn somebody around. Care enough to start a new enterprise. Care enough to change it all. Care enough to be the highest producer. Care enough to set some records. Care enough to win.
Four powerful little words: learn, try, stay and care. What difference can you make in your life today by putting these words to work?

Read more from Mr. Rohn here



Which of these four simple words resonated most with you?
My choice? Care.
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