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SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2023
Are you the CEO of your life?
anaging your life can be challenging, especially when you let other people run it. Some will try to be the boss of you. Perhaps it’s time to look at how you can become the CEO of your own life. This is about being your own boss, which means being in charge of your own life. It doesn’t mean being the boss of your personal relationships or, for that matter, being the boss at work. Figuring out how to manage your own life is not something most people think about. Most people are too busy running around doing what needs to be done. Sometimes you may be extremely efficient, and sometimes life may be pure drudgery with a dash of boredom and a bunch of mishaps thrown in. The latter days happen more than any of us would like. Keeping it all in order may be as much of an emotional challenge as a practical one. Here are some tools that can help you keep your daily challenges balanced and more manageable. This will help to
put you in charge. • Make a to-do list. Lists don’t have to be long and involved, but they need to be done. The most successful and balanced people I know and have worked with make a list of what they have to do every day, because life changes every day. And this simple exercise that takes only five minutes can save you hours of wasted time while wondering what to do next. Hint: After you write your list, reread it twice. • Put your list on hold if an opportunity or a crisis arises. Follow through on the opportunity or do whatever needs to be done to deal with the crisis, and then return to your list. If overtaken by the unexpected, you can save your to-do list for the end of the day. Accomplishing and checking off items on the list is more interesting and more fulfilling than watching television. Personally, I do whatever I need to do while sitting on the couch next to my wife as she reads her
blogs. This way we can stay close and connected, even though we are both doing our own thing. • Get counseling before (or after) making a life-altering move. Making big changes in your world is bound to be stressful, and you want to make wise decisions, so it’s fine to ask for help. Now before you freak out at the thought of what hiring a life coach or business adviser would cost you, there are some great alternatives. Consider taking a friend, who has some knowledge in this area, out for coffee. Or invite an expert or professional out for lunch and interview them. There’s no harm in asking, “What would you do if…?” Or look into finding a mentor through SCORE (the Service Corps of Retired Executives). There’s a SCORE office in almost every town, or you can go online. • Do your own investing and don’t live beyond your means. If you really do need investment advice, talk to your
accountant, and do your best to avoid stockbrokers. They’re expensive and rarely right. Statistically, the monkey with the darts did better than 95% of them. Once you trust your own ability to invest and your money is making money, you will feel much more empowered. No, you probably won’t become Warren Buffett, but you will be a stronger person, and it feels great to create a safety net for your family. Being in charge of your own life is just a dream for most people. This is not a path for the timid, but those who brave it can reap great rewards and peace of mind. Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., is an award-winning psychotherapist and humanitarian. He is also a columnist, the author of eight books and a blogger for PsychologyToday.com with more than 28 million readers. He is available for video consults worldwide. Reach him at barton@bartongoldsmith. com. His column appears Saturdays and Mondays in the News-Press.
Vitalant to present gift cards to blood donors By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
In honor of National Donate Life Month in April, Vitalant urges all eligible donors to make an appointment to give and ensure every patient who needs blood can be treated without delay. Every day, nonprofit Vitalant needs nearly 500 donations along the Central Coast to support local patients, including those undergoing organ or blood marrow transplants. A single liver transplant surgery can require 20 or more units of blood. Vitalant is thanking all blood donors who give now through May 15 with a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card redeemable by email. Donors who give Friday through
Sunday will receive a total of $20 in Amazon.com Gift Cards. Vitalant noted blood and platelet transfusions save lives every day, providing patients battling various medical conditions with the necessary blood components to get better. Vitalant added that platelets are crucial for patients with cancer or blood disorders who may require chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which can damage their bone marrow and decrease platelet production. Donations of all blood types are critical, and especially type O, because it is transfused the most often, Vitalant said. O-negative blood can help patients with any blood type, including premature babies. Upcoming blood drives in
Santa Barbara County include the following: • Wednesday, noon to 5 p.m.: CSUCI, 5383 Hollister Ave., Goleta. • Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Carpinteria High School, 4810 Foothill Road, Carpinteria. • April 10, 1:30 to 6 p.m.: Foursquare Church, 125 N. C Street, Lompoc. • April 11, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Santa Barbara City College, 721 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara. • April 12, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Community West Bank, 445 Pine Ave., Goleta April 12, 1 to 4 p.m.: Deckers Outdoor, 6601 Hollister Ave., Goleta. • April 14, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Lompoc Valley Medical Center, 1515 E. Ocean Ave., Lompoc.
• April 15, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Born to Run Marathon, 4155 Figueroa Mountain Road, Los Olivos. • April 20, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Anderson Recreation Center, 125 W. Walnut, Lompoc. • April 23, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Valley of Flowers Half Century Club, 341 N. N St., Lompoc. • April 24, 2 to 6 p.m.: Camino Real Center, 7046 Marketplace Drive, Goleta. Eligible donors can also give at any Vitalant donation center including in Santa Barbara, 4213 State St. Restrictions apply; see amazon.com/gc-legal. To learn more and make an appointment to give, go to vitalant.org or call 877-258-4825. email: mmcmahon@newspress. com
Tech Help” at Santa Maria Library
Take the guesswork out of senior care, call a Caring Family Advisor today.
Call today! (866) 411-9897 No. 0326
GIVE ME A BREAK!
BY ROBERT RYAN / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ
SANTA MARIA — The Santa Maria Public Library will offer the next two sessions of “Tech Help” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today and April 15. Participants meet one-onone with library staff for a 25-minute session to learn more about accessing library resources on a personal smart device. Sessions are available by appointment only by calling
the library at 805-925-0994, ext. 8562. The library is located at 421 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria. Participants can learn how to access and download ebooks and audiobooks using apps available for free with a library card. They are encouraged to bring their own devices to learn how to enjoy library resources at home.
Robert Ryan of London is an economist for Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority. He grew up in Ireland, where he used to sit on his father’s knee and ‘‘help’’ him solve the cryptic crossword in the back of a television guide. He subscribed to The New York Times in 2020 for its election coverage and soon got hooked on the crossword, which he now does every day. This is Robert’s first puzzle for the paper. — W. S.
SOLUTION ON B4
Follow the library on social media for updates on programming, resources and services. Facebook: Santa Maria Public Library and Instagram: @santamaria_ publiclibrary. For more information, call the library’s Information Desk, 805-9250994. ext. 8562. — Marilyn McMahon
Teen Job Fair planned for Santa Maria
4/01/2023
ACROSS 56 Character at the 107 Tone deafness, 18 Thus far, poetically medically center of ‘‘Dunkirk’’? 1 Texas terminus of I-35 19 You might see them 57 Without holding back 109 Use a family crypt? now and again 7 Place for a plug 14 Sport coached by Ted 58 Kicked out of school, 115 Like Halley’s comet 24 Fortune 500 company every 75 or so years say whose logo is a blue Lasso infinity symbol 116 Not tell a soul 20 Relative of a June bug 60 Atop 28 Wisconsin politico 21 Animal farm facility 62 Beverage that can be 117 House floor manager? Tony served hinata-kan 22 Shining intensely (‘‘sun-bathed’’) 118 Formal 30 Cornhole attempts 23 Zone out? 63 Beauty that runs in 119 Adventure-seeking 31 Lab vial 25 Milton who designed the family? travelers, in old 32 Long, narrow piece of the ‘‘I NY’’ logo usage 66 Family member jewelry 26 Off 120 Polynesian language 34 ‘‘If u ask me . . . ’’ 71 Brazilian currency 27 A handful 72 Price of ignorance, so 35 He can be found 29 Channel for watching to speak DOWN above it N.C.A.A. games 78 Like much baby food 1 Supposed influence on 36 Particularly: Abbr. 30 Aid for a novice Pink Floyd’s ‘‘The 79 U.S. agcy. originally guitarist Piper at the Gates of 38 Pester with little bites set up to fund war 33 Fool, from the Yiddish 43 ‘‘Rubbish!’’ Dawn’’ expenses 34 Beginner’s edition? 80 Words of praise 44 Food container 2 One in the hand? 37 Home of Bahla Fort, 81 ‘‘Psycho’’ mother 46 Jazz great Al 3 Knock a UNESCO World 48 Third-largest city of 4 The ____ Tour (2023 82 Search blindly (for) Heritage Site Turkey Taylor Swift concert 83 Some significant 39 German article series that broke 49 It comes after nine others, for short Ticketmaster) 40 Certain vaccine target but not after 10 84 Boys’ club? 5 ‘‘Pride and Prejudice’’ 50 Flowing tresses 41 Big mouths 87 Shape of a certain surname 42 Fairy look-alike 52 Subject of D.C.’s Stone bean 6 Becomes unduly 44 God who lent his of Hope memorial 89 Expose prominent name to a weekday 53 Word before tooth or 90 Bounded 7 Forty winks 45 Bruce Wayne in the candy 8 When said three times, Batman comics, e.g. 91 Result of some 56 Chancellor who bargaining mantra for some 47 Seat at the dining 80 Shout heard in the oversaw Germany’s 68 Rhinoplasty target, accused 93 Words to a pet at the table? Plaza México reunification maybe door 9 Completed collection 50 Meds often come in 57 Centers of attention 69 Some vintage photo 83 ____ box (lunch 95 Dollop 10 Conspicuous kissing, them, for short tints option) 59 Gave a thumbs-up e.g., for short 51 Identifying statement 97 Greasy garage job 70 Got started, with ‘‘off’’ 84 Long-handled 60 Exploits 11 Like some casts 98 Swindle by instant 54 Real name that hammer messaging? 12 Orange and peach, for 61 Organizer of a school 73 At some point becomes a fake one 85 Affectedly creative field day, for short 74 Come to example by changing its first 100 Reproductive cell 62 Extra-crisp, 86 Pink Floyd’s light75 Cause to stumble letter 102 Something to aim for 13 Word has it! informally refracting prism, for 76 It divides and on a golf course 14 Droop 55 Tranquil state of mind one iconic example 64 Goofs up multiplies 103 Irish name meaning 15 One giving creepy Online subscriptions: Today’s 88 Cancel 65 Sea change? ‘‘lover of hounds’’ looks 77 Friend of Buffy on puzzle and more ‘‘Buffy the Vampire 89 Reinforce 66 Dealership stat 104 Toronado or Cutlass, 16 Yearbook signers than 4,000 past puzzles, Slayer’’ informally nytimes.com/crosswords 91 Predecessor of a USB 17 World’s largest inland 67 The ‘‘Noster’’ in ($39.95 a year). 79 ‘‘So to speak’’ 105 Pointed at, say ‘‘Pater Noster’’ body of water drive
Library users can receive guidance on technology topics like installing apps, creating email accounts and best practices to ensure online privacy. The program will not include assistance with hardware repairs, virus removal, financial transactions or applications that require users to input sensitive information.
SANTA MARIA — The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department, as well as the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Safety, invites Santa Maria Valley employers to participate in the Teen Job Fair on April 13. This free event, targeting high school students ages 15 through 18, will take place at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, 600 S McClelland St., Santa Maria. An objective of the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Safety is “employing teens as a deterrent strategy to prevent them from engaging in juvenile crime and gang involvement.” This event will provide teens with the opportunity to find jobs in the
area, which according to the event organizers, will “enhance the quality of life of community teens.” Employers represented at the event will be offered free ad-space in the Summer Recreation Guide. Additionally, a pre-event mixer will be held for the employers catered by the McClelland Street Market. If employers register by March 31, they will be entered into a drawing for a free picnic for 10 people at an upcoming Concerts in the Park series event in the city. Employers interested in participating can register online at www.bit.ly/TJRF2023. — Annika Bahnsen
Book club to meet April 8
92 Like a screw after 106 One-named singer with the 1961 No. 1 being turned hit ‘‘Runaround Sue’’ counterclockwise 94 Gilda of the original 108 Word with where and how, but not ‘‘S.N.L.’’ cast usually why 95 Clay figures in Jewish 110 Org. established by lore 111-Down 96 Like the Toyota logo 111 Prez who established 99 People of western the 110-Down New York 112 Initial shock? 101 ‘‘Same’’ 113 Suns setting, for short 105 More than just a sec? 114 Japanese honorific
SANTA MARIA — The Valley Reads Book Club will meet at 2 p.m. April 8 at the Santa Maria Public Library in the Learning Loft, 421 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria. The club will discuss “Verity” by Colleen Hoover, a romantic thriller that focuses on a journalist tasked
with finishing a famous author’s work. Registration is required. To register, call 805-925-0994 or visit www.cityofsantamaria.org/library. Questions can be directed to the library’s Information Desk, 805925-099, ext. 8562. — Marilyn McMahon
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