My Bucket List © 2014 by Cherrathee Hager

CHERRATHEE HAGER
BIOGRAPHY

• Cherrathee Hager is a full-time real estate investor and a remodeling and restoration contractor in Salisbury, NC.  She specializes in purchasing bargain properties, offering good restorable properties to investors, and restoring and remodeling investment properties and historical homes for herself and other investors and homeowners.  She is very much in demand by investors for remodeling because of the short turn-around time and due to the excellent quality of work she does on the homes.  Her remodeled homes usually appraise high and the properties sell in just weeks and not months because of their appeal to the buyers.  She was awarded the Historical Preservation Award by the Historic Salisbury Foundation for work she did in revitalizing neighborhoods in 2008, and has been actively involved in assisting other owners in receiving this award also.  Currently she is working on a neighborhood revitatlization project which is being funded by private investors and which will offer excellent opportunities for investors on properties which will bring a high ROI when completed.  INVESTORS ARE WELCOME TO CONTACT HER.

• Cherrathee also works with local homeowners on assisting them with their home improvement needs.

• She is an artist, author, real estate mentor and trainer.  She teaches a class for new and intermediate rehabbers called "Working Miracles and Making Money with Bargain Properties," and also teaches a two-day class called "Before and After."

• Cherrathee is available to speak to groups and organizations as her schedule permits.

 [ Editor's Note:  CHERRATHEE has become a wonderful friend and mentor to me over the last five or so years.  She started out as a business associate; we eventually morphed into close friends and fellow business entrepreneurs.  We like to bounce ideas off of each other and spend small chunks of time here-and-there sharing tidbits of experiences and wisdom that we collect along life's journey.  She is a logical and natural choice to be a "Guest Blogger" at THE BOB PAGE, and I know that you will benefit from reading and listening to her.  Enjoy! ]

{WE KNOW WE ARE POSTING THIS LATE-- TECHNICALLY, IT IS OCTOBER, BUT LET US SLIDE THIS ONE TIME.
 CHERRATHEE IS A BUSY WOMAN, I AM FORTUNATE TO EVEN GET THIS BLOG AT ALL! }

 ______________________________________________________________________

My Bucket List © 2014 by Cherrathee Hager

   I can honestly say that until a few years ago my visual concept of the word "bucket" was centered around a horse feed bucket.  It was the first image that popped into my mind because I have always loved being around my horses.   The second image was a mop bucket… Something we use to clean things or put things into.

   I remember the first time I heard the term Bucket List.  It was the title of a movie.  Ummm…I thought.  That sounds interesting.  Shortly after that I saw  that seminar leaders using the Bucket List as an exercise  in their personal development workshops to assist people  in remembering all the things they want  to do before they die.  

   It was interesting to see that many people had things on their list that dated back to their childhood. They just kept putting it off till later.  You know… after I finish school, after the baby is born,  after I get the job, when I can find the time…and money,   but once they actually began to write their list on paper  they became vividly aware  that they have not yet  checked off many…if any  of the things they wanted to experience,  places they wanted to see or people they wanted to meet…And the clock is ticking.

   I thought that making my personal Bucket List was a great idea.  I was like multitudes of other people who had never sat down in a quiet spot and allow themselves to dream about the things they wanted to do.   I decided I would write all the things I wanted to do and then check them off as I finally created the time to do them…But there was one small problem.  The first thing on my Bucket List was to make a Bucket List.  Yes…actually take a pen and write down all the things I want to do for Cherrathee before my life was over.  

   I have  countless things I want to put in my bucket but the majority of them are still stuck in my brain like little pastel colored post it notes.   I found that when I wrote down a few of them…  POOF!  I did them.  There were things that were important to me.

   One of the important things was that my granddaughter Faith and I go horseback riding together.  The only challenge standing in the way was that our stable was comprised of couple severely geriatric horses that had been retired for many years. They did not qualify as a candidate for a ride across the pasture let alone a trail ride.   I had several alternatives to consider on how to make this work.  Purchase two horses or pay to ride someone’s horse.  Option number two proved to be the best.  We signed up for riding lessons.  Faith was eight years old which meant that I was riding with little kids.  The youngest in the class was 4 years old but absolutely none of that mattered.  She and I were in seventh heaven riding together.  

   One HUGE thing I added to my Bucket List was something I have daydreamed about for as long as I can remember.  It is to take a trip to Egypt and ride a camel to the Pyramids.  It was one of those things I could have and should have done years ago but decided to wait a little longer…Yep!   I blinked my eyes a couple times and realized several decades have gone by. 

   I’m certain I’ve missed my window of opportunity.   It’s not that I can’t go there …but considering the current political state of affairs in that part of the world, I definitely do not want everyone back home seeing me on the Nightly News or reading about me in the news banner scrolling across the bottom of the T,V. Screen.  

   Needless to say, I was feeling very disappointed and somewhat annoyed with myself.  Then I had a bright idea…a plan B.    If I could not ride a camel to the Pyramids. at least I could ride a camel.  And that is what I did…Twice. 

   I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my Bucket List and the lesson I should have learned from delaying my trip to Egypt.    I have come to an important conclusion…It’s wonderful to have a list of people, places and things I want to meet, see and experience in the future, but what is most important is what I experience today in the present.  

   I know that I should make the larger things on the list a priority, implement a plan to accomplish them  and not wait till the timing is right,  but  while that is happening I want to make sure I enjoy many smaller things that can be accomplished each day,  each week and each month. 

    I also realize that some of the things on my list are just for Cherrathee alone… but so many will be enriched and more meaningful if I enjoy them with family or friends.  

   My Bucket List is a work in progress.  I’m still adding new things every day…and am encouraging myself to do them now and not wait to later when I hear myself  thinking “ I’d love to do that”.  And when I do,  I find that something magical happens.  There is always someone I’m suppose to meet or something I’m suppose to learn , experience and enjoy.  

   I don’t think I will ever have my list completely checked off…but I do intend to have fun and enjoy this journey called life.

____________________________________________________________ 

[ POST NOTE : As I was writing this post, I was reminded of an article 

I had written a few years ago.  I thought I would also share it with you. ]

CREATING SUCCESS... LIVING IN THE "NOW HERE"

   Were you aware that the average person spends one third of their lives sleeping? If we were to live to the ripe old age of ninety we would have spent thirty of those years in dreamland.

   Aside from the fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty, The Three Bears, and others, the story of Rip Van Winkle is one of the most popular children's stories where the main character is sleeping for an extended time.  As we listened to the story as children, we thought that it was impossible for anyone to sleep away twenty years of their life.... waking up one day only to discover that everything in their life had changed.  Now that we are adults, we can look at this story in a different way.  What if the story of Rip Van Winkle is telling us that we are doing the same thing with our lives?  We may not be sitting under a tree sleeping, but we are allowing the valuable time we are given each day to slip away as we are "overwhelmed by the numbing effects of everyday living."

   We do not take action.  We do not create.  We procrastinate during our waking hours.  We simply repeat the same pattern over and over, day by day, until one day we wake up to discover that years have passed.  We then reflect on "what could have been"... realizing that we simple allowed endless opportunities to slip by.
 

   We do not take action. We do not create. We procrastinate during our waking hours. We simply repeat the same pattern over and over, day by day, until we one day we wake up to discover that years have passed. We then reflect on " what could have been"...realizing that we simply allowed endless opportunities to slip by.

   Rip Van Winkle has a powerful message about what it takes to be successful and how to live in the "Now-Here."

____________________________________________________________ 

* Seize the moment and proceed with passion. Take advantage of opportunities, follow your instincts and dare to take chances. The rewards will be great.

* Take action immediately to create the life of your dreams in the "Now, Here". Create powerful goals. Dream big, Live your desires in the moment. Take the actions necessary to create the reality you desire today.

* Be "awake" during your "awake hours". Be alive. Create. Be happy. Have fun. Love. Live.

 

* Fill your life with joy and gratitude and share your blessings with others. 

   ____________________________________________________________  

   Dr. Wayne Dyer talks about living in the "Now, Here".  Joel Osteen talks about this in his book Live Your Best Life Now.  Napoleon Hill included this message throughout his famous book Think and Grow Rich. 

   Why wait to enjoy all the blessings and rewards life has to offer? Success comes from being committed , staying focused and taking action.  Success is accomplished by daring to be different , doing what most others will not so you can create all that you desire. Create your success now and enjoy !

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2730447

 

THANK YOU CHERRATHEE FOR SHARING YOUR LIFE & WORDS WITH US ! 

An Open Invitation

  
    This page is meant to be a source of encouragement.  Well- all of my pages are meant for that, too.  But this one, I hope, will eventually blossom into a place where a lot of different people will be able to express their thoughts, ideas, and dreams.. for all of the rest of us to enjoy and appreciate.


   Of course, being the author and editor of this website, I'll most likely invite some of my friends and fellow writers to contribute, and I also reserve the right to refuse any content that I deem unacceptable.  But I am not wishing this to be a place to suppress other's ideas, but to welcome and promote them.

   So feel free to send me your articles, blogs, ramblings, whatever it is that you wish to share with us.  And start by just leaving me a comment at the bottom of this page to indicate your interest.

   Thanks a lot!