A “bulwark” (BUL-wurk) - from the Dutch or German for “tree trunk” + “work” - is a person, thing, or concept that is a defense or protection.

Example (as used by John E. Miller in Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder): “For Laura’s mother the church, in addition to what spiritual significance it possessed, stood out as a bulwark of civilization in the midst of a still forming, rough frontier culture.”

[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]

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You probably know not to light up a cigarette when refueling your car. But there’s another fire danger at the gas pump you may not be aware of: static electricity.

According to a survey from the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI), most static fires occur when people return to their cars during the refueling process. You can pick up an electrical charge when sliding in or out of your car. Then, when you touch a metal surface - like the gas cap or the fuel nozzle - you can create a spark. The spark, in turn, ignites the fumes from the gasoline.

Approximately 100 static-related gas station fires occur each year, according to the research firm Fowler Associates - so your chances of being involved in one are slim. However, to keep yourself - and those around you - safe while filling your tank, the PEI suggests taking these three precautions:

1. Turn off your engine.

2. Don’t smoke.

3. Never re-enter your vehicle while refueling.

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On very rare occasions, I like to unwind in front of the TV with an episode of Law and Order. In one of my favorite episodes, Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy was enticed to take on a high-profile case, but he refused. You see, the case involved working against his boss, District Attorney Adam Schiff. When asked why he refused, Jack said, with a wry smile, “There were many reasons to say yes and one better reason to say no.”

That phrase has stuck in my mind. And I believe it can be a potent reminder to stay the course when working toward your goals.

Yes, achieving your goals can be difficult. It can be time-consuming and frustrating. At times, you may feel like throwing in the towel - and that’s when you need to remember Jack McCoy. There are many reasons to quit, but there is one better reason to keep going.

I’ve had my share of failures. But I’ve had even more successes in my life. And those happy accomplishments were often dependent on how fervently or how often I said “YES!” to moving forward.

Why make goals for yourself if you know you’re going to feel like quitting? That’s a good question. You need to take a good hard look at what you want to get out of life. Then realize that setting goals can actually help you get past those negative feelings and achieve success.

• Goals give you a clear starting point.

Let’s say you are sick of feeling winded every time you climb the stairs. You’re tired of wearing extra-large clothes. And you want to feel attractive again. So set a goal for yourself. Resolve to lose 20 pounds in 2009. Just setting that goal gives you a jumping-off point for feeling healthier, more attractive, and better about yourself.

Not only that, but setting the goal gives you a blueprint for how to achieve it. Once you know you want to lose 20 pounds this year, you can break that bigger objective into smaller, easier-to-achieve chunks: Lose 10 pounds by June, lose 5 pounds by March, and so on.

And once you accomplish the goal, you’ll find that it “transforms” into a new goal - a starting point for maintaining the weight loss and/or becoming even more fit and healthy.

• Goals help you define what is important.

It’s always easier to accomplish things that are important to you. Simply setting goals for yourself is a great way to announce - to yourself and the world - what’s meaningful and significant in your life.

Starting your own business this year says “Financial independence is important to me.” Losing 20 pounds says that you take your health seriously. Joining a family bowling league says that your family means a lot to you.

• Goals help you set priorities.

One you’ve chosen a goal that’s important to you, that goal will dictate your priorities.

Let’s say your primary goal is to start your own Internet business this year. That makes it a top priority in your life. So instead of going out for drinks after work, you might work on your website. Instead of sleeping in on Saturday morning, you might write your weekly e-newsletter. Instead of saying yes to dinner with that couple you hate, you can spend time on creating a new information product.

Your goal moves to the top of your list of responsibilities, and takes precedence over everything else.

As I said earlier, it’s not easy to do what you have to do to reach an important goal - and there will be times when you’ll be tempted to quit. But you have a better reason to keep going: the amazing feeling of - finally! - accomplishing it.

Here’s a story from my personal experience…

I would sometimes dream of going to an airport, hopping on a plane, going down the runway, and soaring into a clear blue sky.

I had this dream several times a year for more than 20 years, and I often thought about it. Then one July morning I woke up, realized my 56th birthday was a few days away… and I had a compelling urge to turn my dream into reality.

So off I went to a nearby FBO (Flight Base Operations) airport to sign up for flying lessons. My wife, Karin, had tried to stop me. “Bob,” she said, “it’s raining. Why don’t you go tomorrow?”

Not a chance! My decision had been made and a new goal (to obtain a private pilot license) was set. I wasn’t going to put it off any longer. The rain was irrelevant!

It took me almost eight months, and involved more time, money, sweat, and tears than I ever imagined. Yet I stayed the course and didn’t quit - even when quitting made good sense. After all, I was surrounded by young pups (students and flight instructors in their early 20s). I had absolutely no background in aviation or engineering. How was I going to be able to understand the instrument panel? Flying an airplane is not like driving a car. You don’t just turn the key and go.

On March 17, 2006 I took my FAA check ride and passed. Karin was at a Spring Training baseball game when I called with the joyous news. I could hear the crowd cheering for a home run, and I felt like they were cheering for me.

My initial goal to get a private pilot license then transformed into new aviation-related goals that I continued to pursue. I had no idea when I started that I would eventually own my own airplane and set two world airspeed records.

It began with a recurring dream. The dream turned into a goal - something that was important to me, no matter how much time and energy I had to devote to it. And it ended with the realization of a 20-odd-year fantasy.

What about you? Do you want to learn to play a musical instrument and give a recital? Do you want to enjoy working in your garden and create a hybrid rose named after you? Do you want to write a collection of poems? Do you want to build or buy your dream home?

Start on that goal now… and don’t give in to all the reasons that will come up for quitting. Turning your dream into reality is the one better reason to say YES.

[Ed. Note: Success mentor Bob Cox - who has worked with four billionaires during his career - strongly believes that setting goals can help you make your longest-held dreams come true. Learn 3 more powerful but surprisingly simple success strategies from Bob Cox right here.

Bob can also give you the "insider secrets" that helped four Average Joes become billionaires. Best of all, you can master these billionaire success techniques in just 30 days. Learn more here.]

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Whatever your goal is for 2009 - to lose 20 pounds, to start a business, to learn how to play the guitar - you can reach it much faster if you apply Bob Cox’s two success strategies.

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My favorite holiday tradition is actually brand-new this year - at least it is for my family.

We took our two-year-old son to see Santa Claus… in an unlikely venue.

Last year, we waited in line for an hour at the local mall. Meanwhile, we were subjected to nonstop trailers for a horrible holiday movie projected on big screens, and were surrounded by “themed” decorations based on the same film. Talk about the commercialization of Christmas. Anyway, after all that, my son took one look at Santa Claus and started crying so hard that his face turned the same color as cheery old St. Nick’s suit.

But this year, we hit the local Outdoor World (a megastore that sells hunting, fishing, boating, and camping gear) and things went very well - despite the creepy presence of reindeer that had seen the business end of a taxidermist.

The line was short. And instead of screaming, my son stared at Santa in wonder (it might have helped that we’d been prepping him for this all year) and then quietly asked for a “fishing rod.” No, he hadn’t just seen a store display. He’s been going on about fishing rods since we took him on a kayak trip through a popular sport fishing area on the west coast of Florida.

I guess fishing on Christmas Day will be another tradition we’ll start this year… so I’d better learn how to fish.

[Ed. Note: What's your favorite holiday tradition? Let us know right here.]

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It’s Fun to Know: The Legend of the Gift-Giving

According to Italian folklore, it’s not Santa Claus who gives presents to good little boys and girls. Instead, La Befana, a good witch, travels the country by broomstick on Epiphany Eve (the night before January 6). She fills the stockings of good children with goodies, but leaves only coal for those who have been naughty. (These days, parents put carbone dulce (”sugar charcoal”), a rock candy that looks like coal, in their children’s stockings as a joke.)
The story behind the legend is that the Three Wise Men invited La Befana to go with them to visit the newborn Christ child, but she declined because she had housework to do. When she was done she set off to join them, but got lost. Every year, she continues her search on Epiphany Eve, giving presents (or coal) to all the children along the way.

(Source: About.com)

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According to Italian folklore, it’s not Santa Claus who gives presents to good little boys and girls. Instead, La Befana, a good witch, travels the country by broomstick on Epiphany Eve (the night before January 6). She fills the stockings of good children with goodies, but leaves only coal for those who have been naughty. (These days, parents put carbone dulce (”sugar charcoal”), a rock candy that looks like coal, in their children’s stockings as a joke.)

The story behind the legend is that the Three Wise Men invited La Befana to go with them to visit the newborn Christ child, but she declined because she had housework to do. When she was done she set off to join them, but got lost. Every year, she continues her search on Epiphany Eve, giving presents (or coal) to all the children along the way.

(Source: About.com)

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A “balletomane” (ba-LET-uh-mane) - derived from “ballet” + “mania” - is an ardent admirer of the ballet.

Example (as used by Jennifer Balderama in a New York Times review of Reading Dance, edited by Robert Gottlieb): “This is, in short, one big brick of dance-nut manna, a loving exhaustive compilation by an editor-balletomane of sterling pedigree.”

[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]

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“Acuity” (uh-KYOO-uh-tee) - from the Latin for “to sharpen” - is sharpness of perception or vision.

Example (as used by Stephen Budiansky in If a Lion Could Talk): “Horses tend to shy a lot because the construction of their eyes is optimized for a near 360-degree field of view, useful for spotting danger, but the price the horse pays for that is relatively poor acuity and some out-of-focus spots that can cause objects within the field of view to suddenly sail into sharp focus.”

[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]

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• Christmas tree lots have sprouted up around the holidays since 1850 (though not, until recently, in front of local shopping plazas).

• The most popular Christmas trees include the Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Noble fir, Fraser fir, Virginia pine, Balsam fir, and white pine.

• There are Christmas tree farms in all 50 states - and 98 percent of the Christmas trees available for sale are grown on those farms.

(Source: University of Illinois Extension)

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