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Obstacles Are What You See When You Take Your Eyes Off Your Goals Obstacles Are What You See When You Take Your Eyes Off Your Goals By: Joe Tye The bell sounded ending fourth period Paul had about thirty minutes before he had to leave to meet Phyllis He looked at the telephone as if it were a scorpion sitting on his desk For ten years he had dreaded making this call It was time, though Paul closed his eyes and took a breath “Dear God, I know it seems like I only pray when I’m in trouble Please be with us both during this call, and guide me to say the right things.” Paul knew his father had been sitting in the dining room of his apartment, because he answered the phone on the fi rst ring “Hi, Dad.” “Hey, Paul! Great to hear ya How’re the kids?” “They’re great, Dad Joan and I thought we’d have you over for dinner on Sunday It’s been too long.” “Love to Tell you what, I’ll make one of my famous raspberry pies You should see how plump and juicy those berries are!” KEEP A FOCUS ON YOUR REAL GOALS BY CREATING A MENTAL IMAGE OF THEIR ACHIEVEMENT SO REAL AND TANGIBLE THAT THEY BECOME MEMORIES OF THE FUTURE “Sounds great, Dad The kids will love it Listen, I can’t talk long, but I’m afraid I have some bad news.” Paul’s father didn’t interrupt the silence, so he continued “Things haven’t been too good at the school lately— big time money problems I’ve got a meeting with the bank this afternoon I think they’re going to foreclose the mortgage 1/3 Obstacles Are What You See When You Take Your Eyes Off Your Goals on the school Probably the one on the house, too Kind of funny, huh, Dad? Here I am thirtysix years old and still bouncing checks.” “It happens Will the bank extend you credit or let you pay interest-only for a while?” “They already did that, Dad I’m afraid we’re talking fi scal rigor mortis here.” “What about your big donors? Could they help? Or maybe the public schools You know, you really take a burden off of them They ought to pitch in when you need help.” “Listen, Dad, it’s really too late That’s all stuff I know I should have done, or done better, a long time ago But at two o’clock the bank’s gonna shut me down And you know what? It’s probably for the best.” “Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goals.” Every time it was as though Henry Ford’s old aphorism was a freshly unearthed diamond “I remember the fi rst time you told me that, Dad I still didn’t make the track team, and Becky Johnson never went out with me.” “Those weren’t your goals, Paul You went to law school and married Joan Those were your real goals And now you’re doing something with your life to make a difference That takes a lot of courage.” Paul laughed “Sometimes, Dad, the line between courageous and crazy is pretty fuzzy, and which side you’re on is only evident in retrospect.” “Well, of course you’re crazy, Paul, but you always have been Runs in the family But you’re also brave as hell You know, your mother was very proud of you And I am, too.” THE LINE BETWEEN COURAGEOUS AND CRAZY IS OFTEN EVIDENT ONLY IN RETROSPECT “I know, Dad Thanks.” Paul’s father cleared his throat, the way he always did when he had something important to say but wasn’t sure quite how to say it Paul waited, not terribly displeased at the prospect of being late for Phyllis Nesserbaum He had a good excuse “When your mother was ill, we decided to put her life insurance proceeds into a rainyday fund It’s not very much It was twenty-fi ve thousand dollars four years ago, and 2/3 Obstacles Are What You See When You Take Your Eyes Off Your Goals to tell the truth I haven’t looked at a statement since, but it’s something higher than that now Sounds to me like you’ve got weather problems at the school.” Paul couldn’t remember the last time he had cried “Yeah, Dad, the roof’s leaking pretty bad.” “You still at First National?” “At least until two o’clock.” “Okay I’m gonna call Burt right now and have him make the transfer into your account so that it’s there by two I hope the weather clears up soon.” 3/3 Don’t get taken for a ride when you take your car in for a service BE GARAGE WISE ENDORSED BY CHOOSING A GARAGE Whether you are new to driving or not, it’s worth shopping around and getting quotes for parts and work on your car before choosing a garage. Ask your friends and relatives if they have any recommendations. There are different types of garage – general servicing and mechanical repair, “fast-fit”, body repairs, engine specialists etc. – choose one which is best suited to your needs. A good garage should deal with you fairly. They will: have staff who know their customer service standards; only do what they are qualified to do; comply with a “code of practice” if they belong to a trade association; give clear details of repair options and costs if you phone them; agree any work with you and confirm it in writing; give fixed-price, written quotes (including VAT), or written estimates if quotes aren’t possible; explain why any diagnostic work is needed to identify a problem and get your agreement to any follow-on work and costs; WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR GARAGE? 1 tell you in advance if they don’t take certain types of payment (such as cheques, credit or debit cards) or if they charge for these; get your permission to go ahead if the cost is likely to exceed the estimate; explain why any replacement parts are needed; let you inspect any replaced parts or return them to you; use only new replacements unless you agree otherwise; provide full details of work done on invoices and receipts, including: • materials used • descriptions of any replacements used, if not new • labour charges • the total cost including VAT; comply with consumer protection legislation; tell you who will deal with any complaints. If the garage won’t provide this level of service, you might prefer to look elsewhere. Remember: the law says that any services you buy must be: carried out with reasonable care and skill; carried out within a reasonable time at a reasonable charge (if no charge is agreed in advance); and that any goods supplied must be of satisfactory quality. 2 TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR VISIT TO A GARAGE Does your car need a service? Many modern cars only need a service once a year, but older cars one every six months. The manufacturer’s service handbook will set what is best for your car. The type of service you need will also be affected by how you use your car. For example, lots of short journeys where the engine does not have a chance to warm up properly will probably mean more frequent oil and filter changes. A garage should be happy to discuss the particular needs of your car. Make sure your car gets the service it needs and you want. MAKING COMPLAINTS BEFORE YOUR VISIT If you have a complaint, raise it with the garage as soon as possible. It’s only fair that they have a chance to deal with it. Then, if you’re still unhappy, check to see if the garage belongs to a trade association. If so the garage might have failed to perform to a code of practice. You’ll often find that trade associations can help in disputes. And if that doesn’t work, a “small claims action” through the County Court may be your only option. Ask your local Citizens Advice Bureau or Trading Standards Office for advice on whether your complaint appears justified and how to proceed. 3 When speaking to a garage it is a good idea to have APPROVED: Tammy Kinley, Major Professor and Chair of the Division of Merchandising Christy Crutsinger, Committee Member Bharath M. Josiam, Committee Member Judith C. Forney, Dean, School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management Michael Monticino, Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies YOU ARE WHAT YOU WEAR: THE EXAMINATION OF FASHION LEADERSHIP AND GENERAL LEADERSHIP AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN AND CAUCASIAN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS. Davette Angelo, B. S. Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2010 Angelo, Davette. You are what you wear: The examination of fashion leadership and general leadership among African American and Caucasian American college students. Master of Science (Merchandising), May 2010, 88 pp., 11 tables, 4 figures, references, 89 titles. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the study compared fashion personality characteristics and shopping behaviors of African-American and Caucasian- American college students. Secondly, this study examined characteristics of leadership in general, and fashion leadership specifically, on fashion personality characteristics. The fashion personality characteristics studied included fashion leadership, fashion involvement, shopping enjoyment, and fashion consciousness. The participants consisted of 268 African Americans and 239 Caucasian Americans from two universities in the United States. Ethnicity was found to be an influence on fashion personality characteristics and shopping behaviors in this study. African Americans in the sample were found to have higher levels of fashion personality characteristics and shopping behaviors than Caucasian Americans. Fashion leadership was found to be positively related to general leadership, fashion involvement, shopping enjoyment and fashion consciousness. General leadership was found to be positively related to fashion involvement, shopping enjoyment, fashion consciousness, academic classification level. However, there was no significant difference found between general leadership and age. ii Copyright 2010 by Davette Angelo iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS While completing my master’s degree and my thesis I have received continuous support from many people. I would like to acknowledge Dr. Josiam for introducing this topic in his research methods class and encouraging my efforts to expand it. In addition I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Tammy Kinley, for helping me to define and maintain my research agenda and writing. I would also like to thank Dr. Christy Crutsinger not only for serving as one of my thesis committee members but also for assisting me with other research efforts and celebrating all of my accomplishments at the University of North Texas. Special thanks are also due to the faculty at Texas Southern University for supporting my research by opening up their classrooms to administer my questionnaires. It is because of their participation that what began as an idea came to fruition, and they provided continuous encouragement to me to complete this research project. Lastly, I would like to thank my family for their never-ending support throughout all of my educational pursuits. To my late grandmother, Mable A. Benson, thank you for beginning a legacy of education that I will continue and to my late grandfather, Earlee Benson, thank you for beginning a legacy of Historically Black University graduates. To my mother, who always listened to my triumphs and my trials and to my father, who made me realize that life is a gift to be lived every day as though it were my last. To my extended family, the University of North Texas Black Graduate Students Association, you ... two o’clock the bank’s gonna shut me down And you know what? It’s probably for the best.” Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goals. ” Every time it was as though Henry Ford’s.. .Obstacles Are What You See When You Take Your Eyes Off Your Goals on the school Probably the one on the house, too Kind of funny,... Obstacles Are What You See When You Take Your Eyes Off Your Goals to tell the truth I haven’t looked at a statement since, but it’s something higher than that now Sounds to me like you ve got weather