In the wee hours of the morning on March 14, 1957, a new baby came into this world, the first-born child of Bob and Barbara McCarter. 

I was fortunately born to parents who loved, nurtured and fulfilled my needs in terms of food, clothing and shelter. 

What more could a person ask?

Like most parents, my parents had high hopes for me.  They expected me to obtain the best that life offered.  These expectations were drummed into my conscious and subconscious repeatedly.  For instance,  I vividly remember a time when my mom showed me a picture of a neighborhood college graduate  from the newspaper, and commented, "One day you'll graduate from college, just like Vernon."  (As a note...this man is one of the premier leaders in the Jefferson-Pilot Life Insurance Company today.)

Despite my parent's expectations, I learned to view life from a pessimistic frame of reference.  Metaphorically, I saw the glass half-empty, I saw the hole in the doughnut instead of the doughnut itself.

Looking back, I realize this was a self-defeating frame of reference.  This realization first dawned on me following the unintended words of a co-worker.  On a life-changing day she said to me, "When you get old you are going to be a grouchy old man."

Those thirteen words began a process of change in me, a process that continues to today.  The process of being:

a recovering pessimist!

I began the process of change by learning that true recovery must begin within and that a change in external circumstances only brought about temporary success.  True change must begin between the ears.

Further, I learned that personal change is analogous to building a home.  Just as there are six phases in the successful building of a home there are six phases in the successful building of a person.

The first phase is to write a mental blueprint for success.  A blueprint that shouts to the world, "Life is good!"

The second phase is to lay a mental foundation of "mind over matter"....if you don't mind, it don't matter.

The third phase is to frame for success by learning to identify thoughts which are destructive and thoughts which are constructive.

The fourth phase is to cleanse (plumb) your mind for success by learning to question destructive thoughts and to replace them with constructive thoughts.

The fifth phase is to electrify your life with actions.  Actions which include contributing, utilizing the power of dreams, remembering the power of active patience, removing mental boundaries, engaging the support of others, developing a "now is the time" philosophy and taking care of the spirit.

The last phase is to avoid complacency by continuing to refine and remodel your life.  There is always work to be done at the any phase level.

You may be wondering, "Has Rob achieved the level of success that he writes about in this brochure?"

Truthfully, "No."  I am a recovering pessimist.  I am engaged in a daily building process of bringing myself into normal balance.  However, my life is fuller now than when those thirteen life-changing words were spoken to me.