Barringer Consultants LLC

  Education's purpose is to replace and empty mind with an open one.                                                                              - Malcolm S. Forbes Reading will increase your knowledge of the world, expand your vocabulary, and improve your ability to express yourself. Reading will help you become more comfortable and confident speaking with others. Read something that stretches you, your mind, your understanding of the world. Read a book that requires a dictionary by your side. Read to not only learn new words but also when, where, and how to use those new words in sentences, in conversation. Reading is a simple, efficient way to learn new words and improve your vocabulary and communication skills. The more words you know, the better you can explain, discuss,...

  I was waiting to meet a friend for coffee. And waiting. And waiting. After 20 minutes, I called. No answer. While sitting there, I checked my email on my phone. There it was - an email  message from my friend saying he had an emergency at work and couldn't make it.  He sent an email. I  would have expected a phone call or text to cancel  Using email for a last-minute cancellation would never have occurred to me. In the past, we had Emily Post, Miss Manners, and Letitia Baldridge to guide us with sage advice on social protocols from which fork to use at an elegant dinner, when to send a thank you note, how to introduce your boss to your children, how to appropriately call off a wedding, how to eat an artichoke, to what to tip your hairdresser or what color gloves to wear. There were rules. These rules were helpful. Now, we have technology, multiple ways to communicate, and a lot fewer rules. Actually, we all have our own set of rules. We make them up. A te...

"The real fate worse than death is the probability that what we are now, we'll remain the rest of our lives." Don Aslett, Author Time to make those changes and become the person you always wanted to be. Time to change your life, your direction - finish that project, go on that trip, take that class, start that diet, write that book, eliminate that bad habit, declutter that room, or meet that special person. A friend of mine once asked how did I get into flying. My answer, I made a phone call. Sometimes the first step is very simple, very small. A small step leads to another step and then another. Not all of the following steps will be easy. You may even find you are going in the wrong direction. Remember, you can always change direction. Getting started is the hard part. A while ago, I enrolled in a yoga class at a local gym. I am sort of a remedial beginner. By the time I lurched into Down Dog, which looked more like Sick Puppy, the rest of the class was three pose...