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  • During the Association of Free Community Papers national conference in San Diego this past April, I was presenting a workshop on Attitude. Sitting in the first seat in the first row of my classroom was Gladys “Glady” Van Drie. If you have ever had the opportunity to speak in front of a live audience you know very quickly who is there because they need to be and who is there because they want to be.

    Keynote Speaking Tampa - GladyGladys was definitely part of the latter. She had a big smile on her face, pen in hand, leaning forward in her chair and hanging on my every word. When the class ended Glady was the first person to approach me, like a groupie, she was at my side in a heartbeat thanking me for the great insight and referring to the many takeaways or ‘ah ha’ moments she garnered from my talk. She then began to pick my brain asking me for information about other classes during the conference she could attend that would contribute further to her growth and development; what a sponge for knowledge!
    It was at this point I asked Glady why she had attended my class and more importantly, why she was there at all. You see Gladys Van Drie is an icon in the free paper industry, an owner, a publisher, a successful award-winning entrepreneur and an enormous inspiration to everyone she meets. Surely she had better things to do with her time. It was at this point that Glady with her incredible smile, contagious attitude and the energy of that famous little bunny, handed me her business card and referred to a quote she had written on the back of the card. The quote, “Growing older can be a wonderful adventure if you remember that the key word is GROWING.”

    So why is this important and what does this have to do with this blog on A Work in Progress? You see, not only is Glady an incredible success in business and in life but she is still going strong in the midst of her 80th year on Earth… just extraordinary! And what’s even more amazing is Gladys is never satisfied and always thirsting for knowledge.

    attitude and success quoteInterestingly enough, in my Attitude workshop I talk about why some people succeed while others fail. One reason is a person’s mindset and attitude to always be open and receptive to learning and growing. If you are satisfied with where you are in life, then you’re done learning; in fact the old saying that “If you’re green you’re growing; if you’re ripe you’re rotting” is a constant reminder that it is through learning that we grow and growth is where we can achieve and exceed all of our goals and dreams!

    For me, the constant reminder is a vibrant spirited woman named Gladys Van Drie, a woman who is passionate about being green and growing every day at 80 years young! Truly a work in progress!

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