Lisbeth Calandrino::

I recently read the book "The Secret" and wondered, like everyone else, if it truly is possible to become successful simply by sitting around and thinking. Part of the "secret" is right: you've got to think it. This is the beginning.

However, will it just come if I want it?  Maybe. Success is more than just thoughts though, and it's more than just attitude.

Attitude is just for starters. Attitude alone will not change anything. Things get done through effort and hard work.

Are you ready to fail? If you are, success might just be around the corner. Winners fail, winners take risks — they win some and they lose some but they never give up. They know success is out there.

Success is about change — your change. Change is about doing something different.

You can't have everything but you can have something… do you know what your "something" is? This may be the first problem — not knowing what it is you want. If you can at least figure out one thing that you want, go after it – be uncomfortable and try something new.

Want to lose weight? Eat different. And exercise. It won't kill you even though discomfort often feels like death is imminent. But it's not. It's just life.

The key is spending some time figuring out what you really believe about yourself and what you want.

Invest in yourself, who you are and what you really want. Then go for it.

Today I picked up my 93 year old neighbor Irma and walked to the voting place. We had the same conversation that we have every time we vote; Irma reminds me there was a time when women couldn't vote. Irma tells me she voted first in 1946 and she had to pay a voting tax of $2.00 in New Hampshire for a number of years. I then begin to think about what I read in history books about women and the Suffrage movment and all the other things that I shouldn't forget. Voting is part of what it means to live in the United States, a free country where you can vote–without fear. I  wonder how much electronics will have to do with the outcome of the election. This morning I got a call from McCain's tent and a text message from Michelle Obama. A lot of activity at my house at 5 a.m! More about the election later tonight as I watch the results with you.

In 1869 The National Women's Suffrage Association was formed by Susan B. Anthony and Elisabeth Cady Stanton. It wasn't until the 19th amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1920 that all states ratified a woman's right to vote. Until then, only white males had the right to vote — and even then it was still selective. While the 15th ammendment extended the right to vote among black men in 1870, in practice they weren't actually allowed to vote until the 1960s with the passing of the Voting Rights Act.

In 1971, during the Vietnam War, the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 to offset criticism that the men being drafted and sent off to war weren't allowed to vote for their leaders. This was the 26th ammendment.

Voting is an important privilege for all of us. It's a good time to get out, meet your neighbors for a cup of tea, vote and enjoy the day.

I watched with amazement the other night when John McCain kept asking, "is Joe the Plumber here?" Obviously, he wasn't. As of today, Joe the Plumber has two no-shows and as the scuttlebutt goes, hasn't paid his taxes.

I felt bad for McCain as he continued to gaze around the crowd searching for Joe. Well, apparently Joe has shown up only once. Hmmmmmm, where I come from a couple of no-shows and you're looking for another job.

Maybe McCain should have Googled Joe before he invited him to this little event.

This really isn't a partisian comment but if I were running for president — and thank God I'm not, it's really a tough job that doesn't pay all that well – I sure would know who I had for back up. It's like getting a new installer and trying him out on a complicated job without checking his references.

Maybe Joe will get his own talk show instead.

Three months ago I realized I was putting on weight. Maybe you've been there yourself: pants that seem to have shrunk and a button that just won't close. You  blame it on the clothes dryer thinking it must have shrunk the jeans. Or maybe the culprit is the scale–it's just  not trustworthy!

Of course, if you know me you're laughing. I look like 99 lbs soaking wet. Not fat by anyone else's standard, but the real truth is that I've thought about my weight since as long as I can remember. It all goes back to childhood.

Life experiences change what we think about ourselves. I realize my thoughts about weight go back to my grandmother. Eating, just like any other habit, is formed based on a series of decisions. How we sleep, eat, exercise, etc., they're all habits. I started noticing mine and thinking again about weight. It hit me: my grandmother was overweight. I adored my grandmother. On Saturdays when I was young we all piled into grandpa's Cadillac and drove to the city of Hudson to shop for groceries. It was a tight fit in that back seat with my chunky aunt and grandmother Christine. When winter came there was less room with more coats, more elbows and pocketbooks in the way. When summer came there was still less room and I realized grandma Christine looked bigger. At the movies grandma would put 25 cents In the scale and weigh herself. There was a point when she stopped giving me the numbers. Actually, i was too young to equate the numbers with fat. I was fascinated with the  scale–I didn't equate it with grandmas weight. I was also too short to read the scale.

By the way, every Saturday  we went to the five and dime for a hot fudge sunday, with whipped cream, nuts and cherries. This continued for years until my grandma had a heart attack and died. I heard them say she was too fat. And so, my lifelong obsession with weight began.

In my seminars I talk about how we make decisions. Decisions come from beliefs we make when are young and impressionable.

I miss our trips and the closeness, and think of how many more experiences we could have had together. Somehow I don't feel hungry anymore.