But it’s been a far longer day for the parents of the two young people in the Ohio shooting that lost their fight for life today.

I cannot imagine the agony of the longest prayer and deepest asking a heart can bear that a parent would do at the bedside of their child.

I never had children of my own. But to have a child, to dream of that child growing up, to send my child to school one day and then meet the doctor at the hospital in a fight for the life of my beloved son or daughter and feel the powerlessness that they must have felt…

To not be able to stop the hands of time as they slowly pulled my child from my arms and watch in unimaginable horror as my child slipped through the veil beyond my reach… Is beyond where my heart and mind can go.

I ask myself, “How could we not have seen it coming?” “Didn’t anyone notice something, anything that might have signaled that something was wrong – something was out of kilter?”

We all need to be better at reading the symptoms, signs and signals. They were there. It’s time to take a stand.

One  more time a tragedy has hit our nations schools. The shooting of 5 students by A young boy who had been bullied makes every mother’s heart break for the loss.

This is a tragedy of major proportions…for the children who were shot, for the child who will not see the light of another day on Earth, and for the student who saw this as the only means  of expression.

My heart cries out, “Could this tragedy have been prevented?”

We need to get to the root of issue. Bullying is not an isolated incident! It doesn’t happen one time and cause this kind of a reaction.

Up until now, I said that, ‘Breaking Out of the World Game’ (our anti-bullying program) is an intervention program. Maybe our intervention program needs to be called a prevention program and taught as part of the required curriculum in every school.

Let me say this in another way. Is it time to make an anti-bullying program a prerequisite in every school? If we have come to this, let’s admit it and take a stand as parents and concerned community members. Let’s not lose one more child to our paralysis. Let us act on behalf of every family in America.

It starts with the little abrasive things that we do and say to each other and builds up on daily. If not curbed it turns into teasing and taunting and mental and emotional abuse.

We cannot turn our backs any longer. It is you and I as adults who are on trial here.

I am asking for other voices… your voice to join the call. This is dedicated to our children and our children’s children that they may grow up to live a full life.

My prayers go out to the mother’s and families involved. But are we not all involved? Are we not of this nation and this world? Let the sacrifices stop. For every sacrifice belongs to us if we do not take a stand.

However, when I did let go of the old outlining method, I fell in love with mind mapping! It is the fastest, most powerful brainstorming tool I’ve ever used.

As a result, when I planned my first book, Learning to Learn – Maximizing Your Performance Potential, I mind mapped it. I brainstormed the entire book on a single page and I followed the map through the entire writing process.

In fact, when I thought that I’d lost the page somewhere half way through the book I freaked because I thought I lost the plot of the book. When I did find it, I made copies of it, filed the copies and finished the book.

Then, some years ago, I ran into Tony Buzan. He was the original author of mind mapping and he had developed a mind mapping program for the computer. I purchased it immediately and have been using it ever since.

Recently I upgraded to the iMindMap5 release and I love it. It is excellent for students, teachers, business people, project planners, and anyone who uses brainstorming as part of their planning process. Some of the new items included are a 3D view, presenter guides, greater ease of navigation, more templates and a lot more.

Below is a mind map that I did on Leadership for an executive team I’m coaching. The skills, skill sets and competencies I will include in the process are included on the right. The character traits necessary for success are on the left.

This is a comprehensive overview of everything I will cover in the coming months. And it gives the coachee a clear picture of where we are heading.

The map took me 15 minutes to do and the style I will present it in is 3D with various areas popping onto the computer screen as I highlight them.

Map and Directions | Register

Description:

Thank you for your patience while we moved! Early Bird Registration Extended due to website challenges!! This is the last time for big savings. Register by 12/3/2011 Midnight Hawaii for $300.00 off the regular price.

Additional Information:

• Minimum payment with registration of $750.00, with all remaining monies due by Dec. 3rd, 2011 for Early Bird Special or Dec. 10th, 2011 for regular price.
• Non-refundable cancellation fee of $500.00 for any cancellations made after Dec. 1st, 2011.
• Last day for registration is Dec. 10th, 2011.
• The link for hotel reservations at the Royal Kona Resort is here. Please plan to arrive at the hotel no later than the evening of Dec. 8th, 2011. The hotel is extending their group rate for us for a few days before and after our retreat should you like to extend your stay and enjoy more of the island.
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• Should you have questions, concerns, special needs or comments, please contact Lynne Truair at 1-808-781-2479 or via email at elantrin@aol.com.

Power of Personal Purpose January 9-13, 2012

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Louise Mackay can be reached at:
lmackay@slwntma.catholic.edu.au