Anna Wintour Reveals Her Keys to Success

In a new book, Winners: And How They Succeed, by Alastair Campbell,  Anna Wintour reveals her keys to success.  Outlined below are a few of the points with quotes from Wintour:

Fail: 'Everyone should be sacked at least once in their career because 'perfection doesn't exist'. 'It's important to have setbacks, because that is the reality of life.'

Decide: 'It makes it clearer for everyone else. Most people prevaricate. I decide fast.'

Delegate & Utilize other People’s Strengths: 'People work better when they have responsibility’

Get Up Early: she rises at 5am everyday

Fake It Until You Make It: “Even if you aren’t sure of yourself, pretend that you are” 

Turn Off on the Weekend: "I don’t have a high-powered life out of work. I like to go to the country for the weekend with the kids and the dog and play tennis. I am very good at turning off.”

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2974586/Be-decisive-sacked-PRETEND-know-doing-Vogue-editor-Anna-Wintour-reveals-secrets-success.html#ixzz3TF7b6EB1 

Five Things to Know for Week of March 2nd

Five Things To Know as you start your week... 

1. Netanyahu will be delivering an address before Congress tomorrow.
2. DHS funding bill is still being debated in Congress.
3. ISIS is still a problem. Russia is still a problem too.  
4. Supreme Court hears Obamacare arguments tomorrow. 
5. The Ides of March Madness are Upon Us.

In Honor of National FFA Week

Everything I learned about life and work in politics, I learned in a barn while being a member of FFA and 4-H.  While I won’t expand on everything I learned in this post, I did want to write about one particular lesson since it is National FFA Week. That lesson comes from the FFA Creed.  The first paragraph states: 

I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds - achievements won by the present and past generations of agriculturists; in the promise of better days through better ways, even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us from the struggles of former years.  

It’s a lesson of hope and moving forward.  It’s not a backward looking message full of could’ves, should’ves and would’ves and blame.  It’s a message that honors the past and its struggles, and sees the opportunity in the present and future by taking action.  It’s this progressive message that could garner political office holders and aspiring presidential candidates support with the public. The past is the past – what action are our leaders taking to build on it today and tomorrow? Enough with the blame and what our political leaders are against - what are they for? Answer those questions and they will stand out and gain support.  Let’s hope we hear what the aspiring Republican Presidential nominees are for at CPAC.

All You Need to Know about the White and Gold or Blue and Black Dress in One Place

All You Need to Know about the White and Gold or Blue and Black Dress in One Place:

• Where it Started – Tumblr.

• The women behind the dress.

• How it nearly broke the internet. 

• The science behind the different color perceptions. 

• The dress is selling like crazy. 

• You too can own the dress by purchasing it from the retailer here.

We can confirm #TheDress is blue and black! We should know! http://t.co/qAeIIHzJxk pic.twitter.com/kkxjUbmgI3
— Roman Originals (@romanoriginals) February 27, 2015

Yep. It's Friday. #TGIF #TheDress #HouseofCardsSeason3 #HouseOfCards pic.twitter.com/OYpSkwN9NM
— SELF Magazine (@SELFmagazine) February 27, 2015

Extremely Grateful this Thanksgiving & Everyday

The past year has been full of some of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in my life.  Each has come with pluses and minuses, but all have served as an opportunity for me to learn, grow, and make changes for the better. For that, I am extremely thankful and know I am a better person today – personally and professionally. 

I’m blessed to have friends, family members, colleagues, and even strangers come out of the woodwork to offer support and encouragement during this time.  "Thank you" doesn’t even begin to describe the gratitude I feel for each of you, and I hope I can return the favor one day.

Sometimes we don’t like where our journey takes us, but we have to trust it.  And that’s what I am doing. I am exactly where I need to be right now, but I also know the journey never ceases and I will continue to learn and grow. 

For all of this and more, I am extremely grateful.  

Why I'm Critical of the Farm Bill

Why I'm Critical of the Farm Bill...

I always get a lot of heat from family and folks back home and in the Ag community for my criticism of the Farm Bill.  It's like a betrayed them for not simply just being supportive of a big fat government bill that has the word "farm" on it.  It is true that less than 20 percent of the farm bill is actually dedicated to farm policy, but that doesn't mean 20 percent of the bill is good policy.  Yes, the Farm Bill isn't as expensive as it could, but $950 billion is still pretty darn expensive.

For me, it really boils down to one point - government programs, like the farm bill, often don't help those who need it most.  These programs are meant to be safety nets, yet there is fraud by those gaming the system, waste by those looking out for their own special interest, and continued duplicative programs that cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars every year.

  From New York Times...

I grew up on a farm and ranch in Southwest Oklahoma, so it’s not surprising that my first foray into Congressional politics was a letter I wrote in high school to encourage my representative, J.C. Watts, to vote for the farm bill. Back in 1996 I had a different idea about how policy affects our lives. Now, having served on Capitol Hill and in the White House, I see that programs like these have allowed Washington to create an unbalanced system, one that protects special interests rather than taxpayers.

What this farm bill is missing are the basics — and basic fiscal responsibility.

Huge federal spending allows large and small businesses, farmers and ranchers, and others to game the system for financial gain at the expense of taxpayers. This system encourages greed and deceit by the players — and we, the taxpayers, are the losers.
The farm bill is evidence of this. It has gone way past the original intent of the bill to ensure there was a steady and affordable food supply, and in doing so, now encourages many in agribusiness to play a game, instead of focusing on creating value. What this farm bill is missing are the basics — and basic fiscal responsibility. Because it is so bloated, today’s farm bill may come at the expense of any future farm bill because, in a few years when these programs are again up for reauthorization, the federal government may be too broke to play the game anymore.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on the Jobs report

The Good: Unemployment rate is down to 6.7%

The Bad: it's NOT because of a vibrant and growing economy.  Only 74k jobs were created in December.

The Ugly: folks are dropping out of the work force.  The number of Americans that are actively working or seeking work, also known as the Labor Force Participation Rate, is the lowest its been in 36 years.