Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce:

“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.”

— Hippocrates

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Hippocrates, the father of medicine, reminds us right before Father’s Day this year that in healing sometimes we find opportunity. We found out last week that the Crescenta Valley Sun is leaving the Crescenta Valley. I know this is a sad day for Crescenta Valley, losing something it has come to love, along with some of the great people we have worked with. Most of my columns have been about positive thinking and working together for the good of the Crescenta Valley. I know that Crescenta Valley will keep up the great attitude of camaraderie that we have up here and hope that the Crescenta Valley Sun leaving us is just a matter of opportunity. They say we will have Crescenta Valley news six days a week now, instead of just on Fridays. That sounds like a great opportunity to me!

Here is an opportunity to learn from About.com: the six easy steps to achieve your dreams and goals. The first step is to really want something, then keep this constantly in your mind. The second step in reaching your goal is to visualize yourself achieving the goal. The third step to your success is to make a plan for the path you need to follow to accomplish the goal.

After you stick to these first three steps that we have discussed in weeks prior, then we need to follow these next three steps in order for our dream to come to fruition. The fourth step is to commit to achieving the goal by writing this goal down. Write down the plan, the action steps and the critical path. Writing down the goal, the plan and a timeline sets events in motion that may not have happened otherwise.

Then the important fifth step is to establish times for checking your progress in your calendar system, whatever it is: a day planner, a PDA or a hand written list. If you’re not making progress or feel stymied, don’t let your optimism keep you from accomplishing your goals. No matter how positively you are thinking, you need to assess your lack of progress. Next, the sixth step is to review your overall progress regularly. Make sure you are making progress. If you are not making progress, hire a coach, tap into the support of loved ones, analyze why the goal is not being met. Don’t allow the goal to just fade away. Check the prior five steps starting with an assessment of how deeply you actually want to achieve the goal.

This is your opportunity. Take the time now to follow these steps to success. And the Crescenta Valley Chamber will take this opportunity to thank you for reading our articles in the Crescenta Valley Sun. We are hopeful this change will be a great opportunity for success in other ways.

One more opportunity for success is to get your ad in our 2009-10 business directory. June 30 is the last day to secure you advertisement in this publication that will be mailed to every business and residence in La Crescenta early this summer. Call Mike Riley to find out more information at (818) 521-6406.

Important dates: July 4 — Fireworks display at La Crescenta Elementary. July 8 — CV Chamber mixer at Angeles National Golf Club. Sept. 9 — Foothills Community Business Expo at Verdugo Hills Hospital. Please call our office for more details about any event! How to reach us: (818) 248-4957 / crescentachamber@aol.com / www.LaCrescenta.org / 3131 Foothill Blvd. Ste. D.

JULIA RABAGO is the executive director of the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce.