Welcome to Brunner & Associates, Inc.

When I was still living with my parents, my mom won a contest by submitting a short essay making this point.  No matter where one is or how accomplished he/she is, there is always someone who is younger, stronger, richer, more successful, better looking, faster, whatever.  Others’ circumstances are always different, and God made each one of unique.

To me, the secret is to compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself,

and even to set some goals for ourselves.  Do we need to improve our writing skills, strengthen our bodies through more exercise, lose weight, increase our reading of good books, learn a new language, build some friendships, etc.?   Let’s compare where we are now with how we were six months, a year, or two years ago.  Seeing our progress is encouraging and motivating.  

For over 30 years, we have gone to Cape Cod for our annual vacation.  Preparing and packing for this 10-day annual getaway is simple since we operate from checklists.  I use two, Travel – Cape Cod and Packing – Cape Cod.  On the travel list are items such as arrange lodging and make down payment, develop budget, cancel newspapers during absence from home, find reading material, take notes from previous years, alert neighbor re: our absence, etc.  Of course, the packing checklist is simply of list of what and how many to pack.  With it, I can pack in 20 minutes and rarely if ever forget anything.  My wife has her own packing list.  Preparing via checklists enables us to enjoy our time without the hassle of forgetting to bring or do something.  

I’ve used checklists for years – including checklists for friends’ birthdays, packing, client obligations, travel, preparing for Christmas, things to buy, year-end to do’s, etc. – and they have saved me so much time and angst.  You should try checklists if you don’t use them already.