Success is a seven-letter word with hundreds of definitions. And everyman becomes his own Daniel Webster as the occasion demands. But do you find yourself lowering your goals because you're constantly settling for less than what you want? For less than your best? Giving up does no one any good; least of all yourself.

Smaller goals are a great idea, as long as you continue to build upon them. Making positive changes in incremental steps can give you a great feeling of accomplishment which can only build your confidence and drive to achieve your ultimate goal. When you no longer feel the stress associated with that overwhelming goal you will find that when you wanted to lose twenty pounds , you've lost twenty-five pounds. Simply because you are focused on the little things that can bring about big changes. And then work from that progress. Above all, you must define your own success. It is impossible to live a healthy life by another's idea of what success means for you.

Linda Colbert

I lost 116 pounds in 10 months.

My name is Linda Colbert. I live in a wonderful little town sixty miles outside of Spokane. Harrington is an agricultural town boasting a population of about five hundred people. My husband, Charley, and I have been married for thirty-seven years. He is a farmer and I have driven a school bus for twenty-five years. All three of our children and grandchildren live within a half an hour of the home that they were raised in. We all work together and when big jobs have to be done, like harvest, haying, painting, fence building, or remodeling, we are all there for each other. With all this wonderful family activity you would think I would remain fit and healthy but as 2006 brought the New Year in I found myself weighing way out of control at over three hundred pounds.   Read more...

A recent study, published in the British Medical Journal, suggests exposure to secondhand smoke may increase a person's risk of heart disease by as much as 60%. The study, which followed over 2,000 nonsmokers for 20 years, suggests secondhand smoke may be responsible for up to 80,000 heart attacks each year.   Read more...